First Half Breakaway Gives Men’s Soccer Win Over Morningside
by Jordan McCoy
Concordia men’s soccer had an eventful first half against the Morningside College Mustangs on Oct. 1 in Sioux City, Iowa, which propelled the Bulldogs to a 3-0 win.
The first goal came in the 26th minute from junior forward Marcelo Hernandez with a one-touch strike that slid past the keeper into the right side of the net. The next goal came from junior midfielder Lewis Rathbone assisted by freshman forward Matthew Ho in the 34th minute. In the 41st minute, sophomore defender Aries Fung found the back of the net for the first time this season.
The Bulldogs scored three goals before the 45-minute mark, giving coach Jason Weides an opportunity to utilize the depth of his bench. With about 10 minutes left in the second half, there were no starters remaining on the field.
The Mustangs were forced to play a man down after a red card was issued in the 74th minute, and were unable to take a single shot in the second half.
Concordia led Morningside in shots 13-4. Hernandez led the team with four shots, three of which were on goal. Rathbone and junior forward Micah Lehenbauer each had two shots. Sophomore defender Angel Alvarez, junior defender Luke Batters, and sophomore forward Tyler Jensen each had one shot.
The win pushed the Bulldogs to 5-2-2 overall and 2-1 in GPAC play. Next up, the Bulldogs will travel outside of conference play to Omaha on Oct. 5 to face the Bellevue University Bruins (4-6-2), who were previously ranked 17th in the preseason poll but are no longer ranked. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m.
