Concordia’s dream season cut short in a heartbreaking shootout loss to Dakota Wesleyan
Concordia and Dakota Wesleyan starters before their GPAC quarterfinal match.
Photo: Christian Myers
By Christian Myers
Every good thing has its end. No. 1 seed Concordia Men’s Soccer suffered a heartbreaking loss against No. 4-seeded Dakota Wesleyan Tigers in the 2026 Great Plains Athletic Conference tournament semifinals. After 110 minutes of play and a 2-2 draw, the drama concluded with a stress-inducing penalty shootout where Concordia failed to match Dakota Wesleyan’s five-goal performance.
The two teams battled it out for over three hours in Nebraska’s brisk 30-degree weather. Both regulation and two separate overtimes failed to produce a winning side. It was as if the scoreboard was permanently frozen at 2-2 from the temperature itself.
Both the Bulldogs and the Tigers found the back of the net with ease on the first 4 shootout shots. Then came Concordia’s fifth and final shot. The atmosphere was a swimming pool of tension, and Concordia fans held their cold, visible breaths. Senior Hugo Garrote stepped up and blasted a kick toward the right side of the goal. This time, the ball didn’t find its netted home as it was saved by the Dakota Wesleyan goalie.
A minute later, the Tigers secured their final penalty kick, diminishing the Bulldogs’ hope of a second straight GPAC title.
“It’s always tough to go out this way,” coach Bernie Ochoa said. “This doesn’t take away everything we’ve done this season, but it does hurt.”
The first and second halves for Concordia were as different as night and day. The Dogs racked up two goals from sophomore Joe McCarrol and senior Niko Nareike, and seven total shots on goal, all while holding Dakota Wesleyan scoreless through the first 45 minutes. Even though there were certainly a few missed chances to score, Concordia’s pressure was immense.
“We had a lot of great opportunities there in the first half to be able to finish the game off,” Ochoa said. “The chances you get, you got to capitalize, and if you don’t, there’s usually goals against.”
Unfortunately for Concordia, that’s exactly what happened. Dakota Wesleyan shifted the momentum immediately after the 15-minute interlude, scoring their first goal five minutes in and tallying a second off a penalty kick only four minutes later. The pressure that was once owned by the Bulldogs was stolen swiftly and permanently by the Tigers.
The two 10-minute overtimes heeded more of the same from Concordia. They managed to lock down Dakota Wesleyan defensively, but very few chances to score ever arose. There was no lack of heart from the Bulldogs, but they failed to find the familiar rhythm that we’ve seen over the last 12 games.
“They fought hard, but at the end of the day we put ourselves in this situation, and unfortunately we didn’t play our best game,” Ochoa said.
In what was looking to be a season straight out of a dream, Concordia was forced back into reality in a sour way. With a 10-0 GPAC regular season record and an incredible 12-game win streak, there is hope for an “at-large” spot in the NAIA National Tournament, but for now, the Bulldogs wonder what could’ve been. The Concordia men collected 61 total goals, 17 more than the next best. They also lead the GPAC in Assists (43) and goals-for average (3.39).
This season, Joe McCarrol has led the charge offensively, tallying nine goals and four assists. Other considerable contributions came from senior Kai Olbrich, junior Sebastian Montino, and Garrote, who combined for 20 goals altogether. Defensively, junior goalie Florian Quast remains second in save percentage (.771) and Goals-against average (1.08).
“I’m proud of the boys and what they’ve done. We’ve been a really close-knit team, and they’ve done a lot of great things,” Ochoa said.
The Bulldogs will now wait and see if the rest of their 2026 season earns them a spot in the NAIA National Tournament, which is set to begin on Nov 19th, 2026. The National Selection Show is set for Friday, Nov. 13, at 6 p.m.
