(Westfield, IN) The Cardinals met the (RV) Columbia Cougars half way, just north of Indianapolis for an out of conference matchup on Thursday afternoon. Concordia, recently ranked 10th in the NAIA poll, were in a closely contested match in the first half, but a strong third quarter led to the Cardinals 15-13 win.
Sam Bowling started in goal for the Cardinals, racking up 8 saves throughout the game. Sam Saje won 83.3% of his faceoffs in the game. Three Cards led the team in scoring, as Andrew Simmons, Spencer Guppy, and Even Stuart recorded hat tricks. Travis Wright and Hunter McCarty had a team high three assists on the day.
Spencer Guppy drew first blood for the Cardinals with a goal just under a minute into the game. Hunter McCarty tacked on one of his own shortly after to put the Cardinals up a pair early on.
The Cougars responded back with four goals throughout the rest of the first quarter to take the lead away from Concordia. Noah Sorenson netted a goal in a man down situation to make it 3-4, advantage Columbia.
The Cougars boosted their lead with two quick goals, in what would be a high scoring second quarter. Andrew Simmons and Cooper Regimbal both scored a pair of goals, and faceoff man Sam Saje scored off of a faceoff to make it a one score lead for Columbia going into the half.
The Cardinal attack was red hot in the third, when they outscored the Cougars 6-1. Evan Stuart had a hat trick in the quarter alone, and was joined by goal scorers Travis Wright, Andrew Simmons, and Spencer Guppy.
Spencer Guppy scored Concordia's final goal of the game, making it a hat trick for the freshman. The Cougars netted three straight to close out the game, but it was too little, too late as the Cards went on to win by two.
Next up for the Cards will be conference play, as they travel to #2 Indiana Tech on Saturday, March 25th. The WHAC opener is set for 4:00 pm in Fort Wayne.
