Bulldogs strike early in win over Briar Cliff

Concordia men’s soccer plays at Bulldog Stadium (photo from previous game).

Photo: Leo Lopez

By Ransom Watts

Concordia men’s soccer scored early and late in Sioux City, Iowa, this weekend, as the Bulldogs beat the Briar Cliff Chargers in a 4-0 shutout game.  

The Bulldogs got to work early against the Chargers and quickly established a threatening presence in their opponent’s defensive third. Six minutes into play, the Bulldogs got a shot off that went just wide. They followed up mere seconds later, however, with a goal from sophomore Joe McCarroll.  

Undeterred by some quick Charger pressure, Concordia worked the ball back to Briar Cliff’s half and managed to force an out-of-bounds kick from the Chargers. The Bulldogs took full advantage of the corner kick opportunity, which senior Hugo Garrote expertly placed in front of the Chargers’ goal. Senior Niko Nareike was right where he needed to be and sent the ball into the goal to credit Garrote with the assist and make it a 2-0 game.

Throughout the rest of the first half, both teams were able to threaten at the goal, including a close shot by junior Joao Pedro Moreira, which was saved by Briar Cliffs’ goalkeeper. The stat line showed both teams with a similar number of shots in the match. Concordia took the lead in that category with a slim 15-14 margin. The same can be said for the number of shots on goal, which the Bulldogs lead 7-5.  

With the second half underway, Concordia got right to work and put pressure on the Chargers’ defense with four shots in the first ten minutes. As the second half progressed, Briar Cliff started to put more pressure on Concordia’s midfield, which allowed them to break to the goal and fire off some shots of their own.  

The Bulldogs were unfazed, however, and regained control to get the ball downfield. With the game winding down, freshman William Preston executed a well-placed pass which set McCarroll up for his second goal of the game to make it 3-0. 

After a quick back-and-forth and some defending on their end, Preston won the ball off a misplaced pass from Briar Cliff’s goalkeeper and carried it downfield to score his own goal, making it 4-0.  

Despite an aggressive day from Concordia’s attackers, much of the Bulldogs’ success is owed to the defense. Quast went 5-5 in defense of the goal compared to the 3-7 performance by the Chargers goalkeeper. The Bulldogs also managed to stay out of foul trouble, coming away with less than half of those given to Briar Cliff.  

On Oct. 7, the Bulldogs travel to Yankton, South Dakota, to face Mount Mary University in yet another Great Plains Athletic Conference showdown.