Concordia gets past Coyotes 2-0 in second round of NAIA Championships
By: David Toelle, KWU Sports Information

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Kansas Wesleyan had its 18-match unbeaten streak come to an end as Concordia (Ore.) defeated the Coyotes 2-0 in the second round of the NAIA National Championships at the Embry-Riddle Soccer Complex on Thursday night.

Concordia, the No.4 seed in the tournament received a bye into the second round, was fresh from a day of rest, meanwhile the Coyotes were playing their second game in as many days.

“We played with them,” Wesleyan coach Mike Dib­bini said. “Give us a day of rest and we would have been better. Our mind and hearts wanted to play, but our bod­ies wouldn’t let us. We were banged up and they were fresh.”

The Cavaliers outshot the Coyotes 22-6, a change from Wesleyan’s usual dominance in the offensive statistical categories.

“They’re very solid,” Wesleyan coach Mike Dibbini said. “They were a team that definitely made us work tonight. There are so many things you could say about the game, but the bottom line is they were very deserving and were the stronger team.”

Concordia’s Kaitlyn Tebbs scored the first goal in the 52nd minute. Sami Andrews found Tebbs on the left side, and her crossing shot found the net past Wesleyan keeper Kelli Beatty.

The Cavaliers found the net again ten minutes later off a corner kick. Samantha Smith played the ball into Shea Miller, who headed it in the net.

Kelli Beatty played 88 minutes in goal, giving up two goals while recording seven saves. Ashley Trinidad finished the match, with no saves and no goals allowed. Janna Macy led the Coyotes with two of the team’s six shots.

Leah Flores got the shutout in goal, recording three saves for the Cavaliers (18-2-1), who advance to the quarterfinals on Saturday at 2:30 p.m., facing the winner of today’s match between No.5 seed Martin Methodist (Tenn.) and No.12 seed King (Tenn.).

Kansas Wesleyan (21-2-1) reached new heights in the women’s soccer program, winning its second straight KCAC Championship with a perfect 9-0 record. The Coyotes also won a third consecutive KCAC Tournament crown with a penalty kick win over McPherson. Wesleyan then became the first team from the KCAC to advance to the NAIA National Championships with a dominating 3-0 over Park (Mo.) in the NAIA Region IV Championship on November 3.

“It’s a very tough loss but I’m very proud of the girls. No one expected us to do what we did. It was definitely a solid season.

-- KWU SI --