Second-half defense helps the Bulldogs maintain an early lead

Guadalupe Sanchez takes a shot in warmups (photo from previous game)

Photo: Max Fritsche

By Ransom Watts 

Concordia Women’s soccer faced a tough opponent this weekend in the Morningside Mustangs but secured a 2-1 win after a furious first 20 minutes.  

Saturday’s game got off to a hot start when, only a minute and a half in, the Bulldogs collapsed onto the Mustangs’ defensive third to score. Breaking forward from midfield, freshman Molli Kalsbeck fired a shot that was blocked by the Mustangs. Undeterred, Kalsbeck regained the ball and sent a pass to sophomore Abby Haynes, who took advantage of the Mustangs’ disorientation to find space at the net. Haynes fired and secured Concordia’s first goal to make it a 1-0 game.  

Undeterred, the Mustangs reorganized and rapidly transitioned onto the attack, outpacing the Bulldogs into their defensive end. After a quick pass and a shot from their forward, Morningside tied the game 1-1.

The first half carried on and both teams were able to put together a few offensive chances to take the lead, including another shot by Kalsbeck and a dangerous corner kick by Morningside, but the score remained the same.

Not even midway through the half, junior Kyana Rios charged downfield wide of the goal. Seeing sophomore Guadalupe Sanchez breaking for the middle of the field, she sent a pass to Sanchez, who tapped it in to make it 2-1.

A last-minute adjustment made that goal possible for Sanchez. “I was making a run out wide, and Kyana had the ball, and I thought she was going to shoot it,” Sanchez said. “But I saw space in the middle, so I made a run in, and I was there to tap it in.”  

With the score 2-1 in their favor, the Bulldogs entered the second half where they remained mostly on the defensive. The Mustangs showed exemplary speed, but Concordia’s backline relentlessly pursued the ball and forced it out of play to keep the Mustangs at a distance.  

Coach Weides had a game plan for the second half and the ladies stuck to it. 

“Morningside’s a good team,” Weides said. “In those moments you have to be really stout defensively and do all the real dirty work to win second balls and to win headers.”  

Certainly, the Bulldogs were willing to do the dirty work necessary to secure the win, including sophomore goalkeeper Aaliyah Mathews, who took the brunt of Morningside’s attack with five saves to keep the Bulldogs in the game.  

“Sometimes that’s the way it is,” Wiedes said. “If you’re not on the ball, then you have to find a way to be really productive. I thought the team did a really good job overall of defending and pressing against a good team.”  

Sanchez also had praise to sing for the defense. 

“I liked how no one ever gave up,” Sanchez said. “They were always there to press the other team, and with that they allowed them to make mistakes, and the offense was always there to pass it to each other.” 

With such a defensive performance and a four-game winning streak under their belts, confidence is sure to be running high for Concordia women’s soccer. On Wednesday, they face the College of Saint Mary Flames at home, where they will get yet another chance to build on improvements and fight for the win.