Sylvania, OH) – Concordia men's soccer kicked off the 2020 campaign on Saturday evening when they traveled to Lourdes. The Cardinals were playing their first game of the year while the Gray Wolves came in 1-1. The match was closely contested with CUAA creating many scoring chances, but a penalty shot in the 73rd minute lifted Lourdes to a 1-0 win.
Ryan Webb (FR/Canton, MI) received the start in net for Concordia, recording 8 saves in the match. Nyle Ellis (SR/Westland, MI) recorded the first shot attempt for the Cardinals, kicking a curving ball just wide of the net. CUAA survived an early attack from Lourdes with a Gray Wolves shot ringing off the post and Ryan Webb making his first save in the 13th minute.
The Cardinals continued to generate promising opportunities with a Brett Kuhlman (FR/Hartland, MI) header sailing just wide of the goal. Kuhlman notched Concordia's first shot on goal and fired another powerful shot that curved wide in the 43rd minute. The game remained scoreless at halftime.
Ryan Webb remained sharp with a save for the Cardinals within the first minute of the 2nd half. Concordia continued to attack on offense with Austin Corona (SR/Livonia, MI) redirecting a header on goal. Webb added another key save in the 54th minute, tapping a ball over the goal to keep the score 0-0.
A critical moment came in the 57th minute when the Cardinals received a red card, forcing them to play a man down for the remainder of the game. CUAA continued to battle with Austin Corona firing a shot that went off the Lourdes goalkeeper's hands. However, the Gray Wolves were awarded a penalty shot in the 73rd minute and converted to take a 1-0 lead.
Both teams traded chances late in the game, but the Lourdes defense was able to limit Concordia's opportunities. Nicholas Corona (FR/Livonia, MI) fired a shot wide with just over 3 minutes to play and Lourdes held on to claim the 1-0 win.
Concordia's next contest will be their home opener on Saturday, October 3 against Rochester. The game is set to kick off at 3pm.
