Concordia Stuns Men's Soccer in Shootout
Hastings, NE – Just about everyone knew that coming into the Great Plains Athletic Conference Championship game between Concordia University and Hastings College that physical play was going to happen along with an exciting contest. Of the estimated 300 fans on hand, that is exactly what they got as the Bulldogs came from behind to force overtime and then defeated the Broncos 4-2 in a shootout.
| Final | 1 | 2 | OT | OT2 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
|
|
2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Team Stats
Hastings : 20/ N 6/ Y 3/ Y 10/ N
Concordia (NE) wins shootout 4 - 2
| Game Statistics | Concordia (NE) | Hastings |
|---|---|---|
| Shots (on goal) | 8 (4) | 35 (11) |
| Saves | 9 | 2 |
| Fouls | 15 | 23 |
| Corner Kicks | 8 | 4 |
| Offsides | 1 | 0 |
Hastings, NE – Just about everyone knew that coming into the Great Plains Athletic Conference Championship game between Concordia University and Hastings College that physical play was going to happen along with an exciting contest. Of the estimated 300 fans on hand, that is exactly what they got as the Bulldogs came from behind to force overtime and then defeated the Broncos 4-2 in a shootout.
There was no doubt the Broncos out played Concordia and it showed in the first 45 minutes. Concordia came out playing very physical but Hastings seemed prepared for it and then struck first in the 31st minute when Kai Knuchel pushed a ball forward that deflected off keeper Gabriel Mendoza as he came way outside the 18-yard box to try and kill the attack only to see the ball end up at the feet of Ryan Lewis as he put the ball into the back of the net for the 1-0 lead.
The game plans stayed the same as the Broncos continued to keep the pressure on the back line of CUNE and in the 39th minute, Jair Aria sent a long ball from mid-field to a streaking Lukas Goetz where he ripped a low shot past Mendoza and into the goal to make it 2-0. Hastings looked like it was on cruise control with its two-goal lead at halftime.
But one thing really stood out in the first half and it was the corner kicks that started to pile up in favor of the Bulldogs as this would come back to haunt Hastings early in the second half.
In the 52nd minute, Concordia set up for its fifth corner of the night where Carlos Orquiz sent the ball right to the edge of the six where Adrian Wambua headed it into the goal to make it 2-1.
This is where the game began to shift as the intensity picked up with both teams scratching and clawing as a total of nine yellow cards were issued and a combined 38 fouls were committed before this one was all said and done.
The Broncos certainly didn't let up the offensive pressure but just couldn't get another shot past Mendoza as Hastings outshot the Bulldogs 35-to-8.
But the game remained 2-1 into the 84th minute when a controversial penalty was called against the Broncos on another corner kick attempt as the ref pointed to the spot for a penalty kick much to the dismay of the Bronco faithful.
Orquiz stepped up and buried his shot to tie the game 2-2. The game would then head to overtime where Hastings dominated the possession once again but could not find a way to put a shot past Mendoza. One of the best opportunities was late in the second overtime when David Panter had a clear shot from 12 yards out where it was deflected and seemed destined for the back of the net only to be denied by Mendoza.
The game remained 2-2 and headed for one of the most exciting moments in sports, a shootout.
Hastings won the toss and elected to go second. After Victor Meneses made the Bulldogs first attempt, Ross Murphy beat Mendoza but his shot bounced off the crossbar for the miss.
Both teams netted the next two attempts and it was Concordia's Matt Schultz that beat Brendan Dally on the fourth attempt to make it 4-2. Hastings needed to convert to keep the shootout going but Tyler Mase was turned away by Mendoza sending the Bulldogs into a frenzy at the north end of the field.
The last time Concordia beat Hastings was seven years ago nearly to the day when the Bulldogs upset Hastings 1-0 back in 2015 to claim the GPAC tournament title and its second ever win over Hastings.
The Broncos move to 15-1-2 while Concordia moves to 15-2-3 as both teams will find out where they are headed for the opening round of the NAIA National Tournament with the selection show going live Monday Nov. 14 at noon.
