A Gritty Shutout Win

MOORHEAD, Minn. (9/08/17)---It wasn't the prettiest win, but after allowing 10 goals in their first two games, a shutout win in any fashion constitutes a thing of beauty for Concordia.

The Cobbers made a first-half goal by sophomore Aronah Mukhtar stand up as they blanked Buena Vista to record their first win of the season.

Both teams controlled segments of play throughout the first 75 minutes of play but then Concordia was able to hang in the final 15 minutes to save the shutout.

Concordia is now 1-2-0 on the season while Buena Vista sees their one-game win streak come to an end and falls to 2-2-0 for the year.

The Cobbers held the majority of play in the first 25 minutes of the opening half. Concordia was able to come up with a trio of corner kicks and one shot on goal but couldn't get on the end of the numerous crossing opportunities they created.

The game changed in the 29th minute of play when Mukhtar, who entered the game in the 28th minute, received a throw-in from senior defender Austin Promersberger just inside the 18-yard box on the right wing. Mukhtar was able to beat a Buena Vista defender and then fired a shot from eight yards out the beat the BVU goalie to the near post.

The goal at 28:10 ended a drought of 166 minutes without a goal for Concordia and it was Mukhtar's first goal of the year and the third goal of his career.

The Cobber defense would step into the spotlight for the second half as BVU repeatedly bypassed the midfield and launched balls on to the back line of CC. Concordia was able to deal with the majority of the play in the second half and only allowed a pair of quality chances.

QUOTABLE: "We showed a lot of grit and character today. It wasn't the prettiest win but we were able to come away with a victory and that is what this team needs to learn to do." – Cobber head coach Ben Schneweis

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED: Buena Vista had a chance to tie the game when they were awarded a penalty kick at the 32:00 mark. The ensuing spot kick was knocked off the crossbar and the rebound was cleared away from goal by the CC defense.

GIVE HIM THE GAME BALL: Concordia freshman goalie Jackson Carr stopped all three shots he faced to earn his first career shutout. It was also the first win of his college career. He has started the first three games between the posts for CC.

1-0: The 1-0 score line marks the second straight year that the Cobbers have beaten BVU by that mark. Last year Jacob Schmidt got the game winner in the eighth minute of play in a game that was played in Storm Lake, Iowa. Concordia also came away with a 1-0 win in 2013 at Buena Vista. The teams have squared off in five straight seasons and the Cobbers hold a 4-1 edge during that stretch.
    
WHAT'S NEXT: Concordia will cap their second two-game weekend when they host Minn.-Morris on Sunday, Sept. 10 at 5 p.m.