Men’s soccer defense shines in tie against Morningside

Photo description: Freshman Michael Owens weaves between defenders as he keeps the Bulldogs possession of the ball

Photo credit: Josiah Seabaugh

Isaac Dawson

Sower Staff

The Concordia Men’s Soccer team fought a close battle with the Morningside University Mustangs this Wednesday evening ending in a final score of 0-0.

The first half of the match was a defensive match for Concordia. With both teams trading back and forth constantly, the Bulldogs were forced to protect their goal from six shots on goal from the Morningside offense versus two shots on the Mustangs’ goal. Regardless of the repeated attempts on either goal, both team’s defenses held fast under the pressure, leaving the score at the end of the half at 0-0.

The second half marked a more aggressive approach to the offense from both teams, hoping to take the lead in a tough matchup. Offense and defense alike pulled out all the stops, trading in an intense back-and-forth. Despite trading evenly in shots at 4-4, Morningside still managed to pull off more direct shots on goal, putting the sophomore goalie Nolan Fuelberth to the test with a total of three more shots at the net against Concordia’s zero.

Head coach Jason Weides explained the strategy near the end of the second half, saying, “We felt that we could maybe be a threat in behind them and be a little more aggressive moving forward, instead of trying to force it through the middle.” The last minutes of the game consisted of a desperate attempt from both teams to get the ball in the back of the net, ending in a final strong push from Concordia that couldn’t quite bring it home.

The final score of the match being 0-0 was a disappointment to both teams, but it remained an exciting battle between two high-ranking conference teams in an extremely tough game.

Offensively, it was a rougher day for the Bulldogs, who made seven total shots. Two shots on goal were attempted by junior Carter Hinmen and senior Victor Meneses, who got one each.

The Concordia defense played extremely well, stopping 13 shots from Morningside and nine shots on goal. Goalie Nolan Fuelberth made a total of seven saves over the course of the match.

Concordia now has a record of 10-0-2. Their next game is an away game against the University of Jamestown Jimmies on Oct. 7 at 5 p.m.