Bulldogs get off to a hot start in the GPAC tournament with 3-0 win over College of Saint Mary
Senior Hannah Kile guards the ball against a member of the opposing team (photo from 2024 season).
Photo credit: Josiah Seabaugh
By Kai Olbrich
Sports Editor
After a dominant first 10 minutes, the Concordia women’s soccer team ran off with a two-goal advantage over the College of Saint Mary and extended it to three by the final whistle on Tuesday.
The match was the Great Plains Athletic Conference women’s soccer tournament quarterfinals, a must-win for the Bulldogs to keep their conference championship and national qualification hopes alive.
The game got off to a blistering start, with goals from freshman Evie Keller and senior Savannah Andrews in the third and sixth minutes.
Concordia coach Nick Smith is glad that his team scored early and calmed some of the nerves that a playoff game naturally brings.
“The playoff games are just different from the regular season because everything’s on the line. And if you start to go into the second half and at zero-zero, you just kind of start thinking, maybe it’s that night,” Smith said. “And the challenge for us tonight was to start strong. And that was one of the focus points that we had as a group. So to be able to get two in the opening six minutes, I think it was tonight, I think it really sets the tone, and it sets our pace and tempo for the rest of the night.”
It was quiet on the scoring front after the opening minutes until senior Taylor Slaymaker punched in the Bulldog’s third goal of the night, and her third of the season. Smith noted that, for various reasons, Slaymaker is very valuable to the way he wants his team to play.
“So I think Taylor now has three in her last five. And in four years and two-thirds of a season before that, she had one. So, she’s starting to put it together,” Smith said. “And, the big thing for us being possession-based is that you have to have center backs that are comfortable on the ball. And Taylor is definitely that. And I think what separates her a little bit is her ability to use both feet. And she’s got a range that’s quite good. And I think just having her composure and her calmness back there allows us to set ourselves up to be really successful in our builds. And then it’s a huge bonus for us that she’s starting to find the back of the net.”
Another key to success is someone who doesn’t make her way onto the stat sheet very often. Senior Niah Kirchner is the engine of the team and someone Smith appreciates for her defensive resilience and build-up play.
“Niah is immense. And, you know, K [Kierstynn Garner] gets all the headlines because she scores all the goals. I think this team is going to be half the team it is without having a Niah running the show as the six. She does a great job of picking up seconds. She does a great, great job of doing all the defensive work. But then her distribution really opens up the field, and she starts a lot of things going forward off of her foot,” Smith said.
Senior Kierstynn Garner couldn’t miss making her mark on the game as she notched two assists alongside one from senior Elena Ruiz.
With the win, the Bulldogs advance to the GPAC semifinals, which will be hosted by Concordia on Saturday, Nov. 8, time TBD against the Hastings Broncos, who Concordia came back to defeat 2-1 in early October.
