Mustang
SOCCER WEDNESDAY, NOV. 3 Morningside University’s Elwood Olsen Stadium is one of four sites hosting 2021 Great Plains Athletic Conference quarterfinal round postseason tournament matches this evening. Along with the fourth-seeded Mustangs welcoming fifth-seeded Concordia, top-seeded and regular-season champion Northwestern hosts eighth-seeded Mount Marty; third-seeded Hastings welcomes sixth-seeded Midland, and second-seeded Briar Cliff is at home against seventh-seeded Jamestown. Tonight’s victors move into semifinal action Saturday, Nov. 6, at the highest remaining seeds, with the championship match slated for Thursday, Nov. 11, at the highest remaining seed.
THE SERIES Mside has a 12-7-1 edge all-time versus Concordia. They’ve won four in a row, including a 3-2 nailbiter in Seward early last month.
THE MATCH-UP Head coach Tom Maxon’s crew remains one of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics’ most potent offenses. They are within the top 25 in assists (52 – No. 8) and goals scored (52 – No. 21), while their shot accuracy is just outside the range (.192 – No. 29). Individually, senior midfielder Moritz Lusch is part of the nation’s best 40 in assists (eight – No. 34) and points (30 – No. 40); junior goalkeeper Bjarne Huth holds a similar listing in wins (eight – No. 26); and sophomore midfielder Victor Beker, who tied the program’s single-season assist record in the regular-season finale, is among the NAIA’s first 10 in the category (12 – No. 6). The Mustangs have claimed three straight quarterfinal round tournament triumphs. They dispatched Jamestown 2-0 (2018), Mount Marty 2-0 (2019), and Dakota Wesleyan 4-0 (2020)
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Head coach Jason Weides’ Bulldogs bring a 7-7-3 record to Sioux City. The final month of the regular season was about as evensteven as could be for CU, as they went 3-3-2 with wins over Dakota Wesleyan, Jamestown, and Presentation spotlighting the span. Through 17 regular-season games, Concordia has outscored its foes by a combined total of 34-20 (23-11 in conference play). The most dependable attacking option has been sophomore midfielder Yessine Bessaïes, who leads the squad in goals (six) and assists (five). Four teammates have contributed four goals: freshman forward Martin Herrera, senior midfielder Garrett Perry, sophomore forward Isaiah Shaddick, and freshman forward Ryan Wokutch. Freshman midfielder Eli Rhodes has chipped in with four assists. At keeper, three players have made four or more starts: freshman Gabriel Mendoza (eight), junior Callum Goldsmith (five), and freshman Federico Simonetti (four). Freshman defender Iker Casanova and junior defender Decker Mattimoe are the lone two players on the roster to have started all 17 games.