(Spring Arbor, MI) – The Concordia Women's Soccer team opened up the 2021 season Friday night with a neutral match against Saint Francis (IN) at the Cougar Soccer Complex, hosted by Spring Arbor University. The Cardinals were able to soar past the Cougars in a 2-1 victory to kick off their season on a high note.
The Cardinals set the pace of this game early on with an aggressive attack which helped lead to a scoring opportunity for Danielle Bracken in the 9th minute in which she was able to cash in to give the Cardinals an early 1-0 lead. Concordia's midfield stepped up for the next 20 minutes of play in keeping possession and pressure on Saint Francis' defenders and generating two corner kicks and valuable scoring attacks from their set plays.
Kendra Lewis saw an opening in the Cougars' defense and was able to find Freshman forward Taia Vega who punched in her first career goal to give the Cardinals a commanding 2 goal lead heading into the closing minutes of the 1st half. Saint Francis looked to turn the tables and place pressure on the Cardinals defense in their attempt to cut into their deficit before halftime but were unsuccessful in their attempts.
Concordia's offense looked to keep their momentum going with at the beginning of the second half as they were able to generate two more corner kick opportunities and several shots on goal. However, Olivia Cronenwett was able to find Aubrey Vince on the Cougars' counter attack and make it a 2-1 game in the 58th minute. The final half hour of action featured many scoring opportunities for both teams with both defenses standing true and deterring every rush and opportunity until the final whistle.
The Cardinals finished with 12 shots on goal with nearly half of them being on frame. Coach Abbott and the coaching staff will also be pleased with the 8 corner kicks that they were able to generate off of their relentless pressure on the offensive end. CUAA was able to keep it clean on the defensive end as well by only allowing 3 shots on goal, 1 corner kick, and 6 fouls.
Concordia will be back in action tomorrow night in a quick turnaround as they will play the site host of both matches in the form of Spring Arbor. Kick off is set for 7pm under the lights at the Cougar Soccer Complex.
