A Sunday Grind

MOORHEAD, Minn. (9/11/16)—The Red Pepper in Grand Forks has the Grinder, MTV once had a show called "The Grind" and on Sunday the Concordia athletic department had the men's soccer team grind out a 1-1 double overtime tie against regional foe Simpson.

Concordia used 19 players, suffered through several key injuries and battled to their second double overtime game of the season. The tie was the first for CC since the 2014 season.

The Cobbers are now 2-1-1 on the year and have only allowed two goals in 395 minutes of action. That is in sharp contrast to last year when CC went 1-3-0 and allowed seven goals in the first four games of the year. Concordia is tied for the MIAC lead in fewest goals allowed this season.

"I was very pleased with how our players were able to play through a long, hard game and come up with a result," said head coach Ben Schneweis. "It is very similar to the type of game we will see in the MIAC and to play through several injuries and different lineup combinations was very exciting."

Senior captain Sage Thornbrugh was the poster player for the type of game it was for the Cobbers on Sunday. Thornbrugh got free on the left wing in the 30th minute of play and curled a shot towards the back post which went over the top of the Storm goalie and nestled into the far side netting. Thornbrugh then had to be subbed for after sustaining a lower leg injury on the play. He wouldn't return to the field for the remaining 80 minutes of regulation and overtime. Thornbrugh's goal at 29:36 was his first of the season and ninth of his career.

The opening strike of the game by Thornbrugh was set up by junior Spencer Lancaster and freshman Aronah Mukhtar. Mukhtar took possession of the ball in the Concordia end of the field and pushed the ball upfield with speed.  He then found Lancaster in the middle of the Storm defensive end. Lancaster cut the ball back to his left and found Thornbrugh open on the left wing.

Concordia would have several more chances to score in regulation and overtime but it was Simpson who took the play to the injury-plagued Cobber attack. Behind the stellar play of junior goalie Ben Glogoza, the Concordia defense was able to grind out a tie despite being having to scramble around the penalty area on several occasions.

Simpson (3-1-1) tied the game at 52:30 when a shot deflected off a Cobber defender and caromed to a wide open Storm attacker in at the top of the penalty area. He took one touch and curled a shot just inside the left post.

The Cobbers showed their new-found defensive attitude in the two overtime periods. Concordia came up with a pair of key defensive stops late in the game including a 30-yard recovery run from junior Austin Promersberger who made a full-out sprint to get back and cover a wide open Simpson attacker before he could get an open shot from seven yards out.

Glogoza made 13 saves in the game and stopped a pair of in-close headers to preserve the tie.

DANDY DEFENSIVE START: Concordia has only allowed two goals in the first four games of the season which is the fewest by a CC team since the 2002 season when they also only allowed two in the first four games. The best four-game defensive start in program history came in 2001 when the Cobbers didn't allow a single goal in four games.     

WHAT'S NEXT: Concordia will open conference play on Wednesday, Sept. 14 when they host Hamline at 4:30 p.m. The Pipers are 4-1 on the year and have won four straight games.             

Concordia Goal vs. Simpson - Sept.11, 2016