Men’s soccer secures quarterfinals win against Briar Cliff, 5-4

Sophomore defender Michael Wyvill (5) just barely outruns an opponent to reach the opposite end of the field (photo from previous game).

Photo credit: Josiah Seabaugh

By Maddy Peters

Sports Editor

The Concordia men’s soccer team overcame the Briar Cliff University Chargers in a nail-biting 5-4 penalty kick shootout in the Great Plains Athletic Conference quarterfinals.

The Bulldogs were looking for conference redemption after a tough 3-0 loss to Dordt University in the 2023 quarterfinals and took it in dramatic fashion. The Bulldogs tied the Chargers 1-1 in the regular season in September and had the same result after regulation leading to two overtime periods.

Sophomore Ferdi Hagan shot the lone goal for Concordia in regulation in the 75th minute. He was unassisted. Hagan recorded three total shots in the game.

Both halves of regulation were a shoot-out for the teams. Briar Cliff recorded six and four shots in the first and second respectively. Concordia did the inverse and recorded four and six shots.

Senior Martin Herrera and Ryan Wokutch were also key players throughout the game. Herrera recorded four shots with two on goal and Wokutch had three shots with two on goal. Senior Michael Lindberg also came close to scoring with one shot on goal.

Junior Nolan Fuelberth was the goalie for the game recording four saves and one goal allowed. Most of the saves were made in the first half of regulation.

Conference games are not allowed to end in ties, so overtime rules applied to the 1-1 tie in regulation. The game became much more defensive for the two teams. Concordia recorded one shot in the first overtime and Briar Cliff recorded one in the second overtime. No goals were scored, so the game moved to penalty kicks.

The Bulldogs took the first kick and Hagan drilled the ball down the middle to hit the first. Herrera took the second and also put it down the middle. Senior Iker Casanova took the third kick and put it low in the left corner.

Briar Cliff had matched Concordia up to this point but missed their third kick, shooting wide of the goal and giving the Bulldogs the advantage. Freshman Sean Stratman took the fourth kick and also put it low in the left corner.

Sophomore Hugo Garrote missed his kick putting the ball too high and over the goal making the score even again. Senior Spencer Kaufman drilled the fifth low into the right corner of the goal leaving Briar Cliff to take the last shot.

The Chargers’ Flynn Kopp’s kick went off the top bar to end the game with a one kick advantage for Concordia and send them to the semifinals.

The Bulldogs now face Northwestern College, the No. 3 seed in the conference on Nov. 9 at 7 p.m. in Seward.