Bulldogs Blast Past Doane in 5-1 Match
Photo by Natasha Torno
by Jacy Johnston
The Concordia women’s soccer team routed Doane University in an away GPAC match up in Crete, in a 5-1 win on Oct. 26.
The Bulldogs scored four of the goals in the first half. Junior forward Jessica Skerston began the scoring for Concordia within the first four minutes of the game off an assist by freshman midfielder Sami Birmingham.
Ten minutes later, Concordia had another three shots on goal. Doane’s yellow card led to a penalty kick that Skerston connected for another goal, 13 minutes into the game.
Next, it was freshman forward Rachael Bolin’s turn to score with another assist from Birmingham. Concordia’s 3-0 lead turned into a 4-0 lead seven minutes later with another goal by Skerston, only 24 minutes into the game.
The Bulldogs continued to control the offense in the second half, though only one shot by Birmingham connected, 56 minutes into play.
Concordia put up 16 shots to Doane’s two shots in the first half, and another 12 shots in the second half to only one Tiger shot.
The Bulldogs now improve to 11-5 on the season and 6-3 within the GPAC standings. Concordia is in a three-way tie for third with Morningside College and Northwestern College in the GPAC.
Concordia’s last regular season game will be Saturday, Oct. 29 at Dakota Wesleyan at 1 p.m.
This final game will conclude the regular season for six Concordia seniors under coach Greg Henson. The players are forward team captain Jordan McCoy, midfielder Leah Hoffmann, defenders Rachael Blandt, Kristen Manley and Megan Brunssen, and goalkeeper Chrissy Lind.
“[These seniors] arrived to Concordia essentially at that same time I did back in 2013,” Henson said in an email interview. “They are the last group of players that I inherited but after four years I wouldn’t consider them anything but mine! This program and this team has grown so much in the last four years and watching these six young ladies grow along the way has been an honor!”