Late calls wipe points off the board as Concordia holds on to a 3-2 win over Dakota Wesleyan

Concordia men’s soccer starters huddle up before game against Dakota Wesleyan.

Photo: Max Fritsche

By Keith Siek

Concordia men’s soccer held on to a 3-2 lead after two would-be goals for the Tigers were called offside in the last five minutes of the game. The defensive stand came at the end of a close-fought conference match, played in Bulldog Stadium on Saturday.  

The Tigers pressured the Bulldogs’ defense with the final eight shots of the game. Dakota Wesleyan appeared to score the equalizer with 85:55 on the clock, only to be called offside by the assistant referee. 

The Bulldogs let a second shot into the back of the net with 32 seconds left in the game, but the Tigers were again ruled offside. Three Wesleyan corner kicks and a pair of Concordia fouls fueled the flurry of attempts on goal to close out the match. 

Coach Bernie Ochoa said that the Bulldogs did not close out the game playing their best defense. 

“We didn’t do our best job defensively. We were late getting to the ball, and we needed to play them a little tighter, not giving their offense that time and space to make plays,” Ochoa said.

Junior goalkeeper Florian Quast made three saves in the game, including a two-handed jumping save during the Bulldogs’ final defensive stand. Several shots were redirected by Bulldog defenders in the box in the closing minutes of the game.

Coach Ochoa said his team showed resilience as different players stepped in to protect the Bulldogs’ lead. 

“Overall, our defense was a team effort. All the guys stepped in and knew their role. We all fought together; that is what this team is,” Ochoa said.

The Bulldogs delivered a counter-punch for every strike that Wesleyan landed as momentum quickly shifted from one side to the other in the second half of the match.

Junior Sebastian Montino and sophomore Joe McCarroll answered the Tigers’ game-tying score to retake a 2-1 lead for the Bulldogs in the 62nd minute of the game. Montino played a pass from McCarroll into the net off the hands of Wesleyan’s goalie.

The Tigers tied the game with 63:51 on the clock in a defensive series that had Quast venture outside the box. 

Senior Kai Olbrich scored the winning goal off a feed from sophomore Lucas Montino, less than a minute later. Olbrich received the pass into heavy traffic and dribbled through four Tiger defenders before curling his second goal of the game into the net. 

Ochoa said his team knows how to respond when their opponents bring their best efforts against his conference-leading Bulldogs.

“Teams are going to come out and gun for us, but our team never gives up. That’s the character of our team,” Ochoa said. “Our players know that they are good enough to respond.” 

The Bulldogs move to 8-4 on the year and remain undefeated in six games against Great Plains Athletic Conference foes. Concordia has only four regular-season meetings until the playoffs. The Bulldogs are scheduled to host Hastings College at 8 pm on Oct. 14.