Cobber Game Notes - Sweet 16 Style
Cobber Women's Soccer Game Notes
Nov. 16, 2012
- Concordia will face Washington Univ. (18-1-1) in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament on Friday, Nov. 16 at 5:30 p.m. The other game in the sectional features No.2 ranked Hardin-Simmons (18-0-2) squaring off against No.11-ranked Wheaton (Ill.) (19-3-2) at 3 p.m. Both games will be played at Francis Field on the campus of Washington Univ. in St. Louis.
- Concordia-Moorhead is making its third NCAA Sweet 16 appearance in the past four seasons. The Cobbers are 0-2 in their previous two trips to the Sectional. The Cobbers are making their fourth consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament and sixth overall trip to the national playoffs. Concordia is 6-5-1 in NCAA Tournament games heading into this weekend's sectional contests.
- Concordia was ranked 14th in the final National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) regular-season rankings.
- Concordia-Moorhead is 17-3-2 on the season. The 17 overall wins is the second highest total in program history. The Cobbers went 18-1-2 in 2009 when they also reached the Sweet 16.
- Concordia is 9-0-1 in the previous 10 games leading up to the Sweet. 16. CC is also 13-1-1 in its last 15 games. The lone loss in that stretch was a thrilling 4-3 double overtime contest at fellow sectional member Wheaton (Ill.)
- The Cobbers won both the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) regular season and tournament championships. CC has won four regular-season titles in the past seven seasons and four playoff crowns in the past seven years.
- Washington Univ. is ranked third in the NSCAA poll. The Bears advanced to Sectional Play for the ninth time in school history after posting a 3-2-overtime victory over No. 16 Thomas More College in the second round on Sunday. The Bears are making their seventh-consecutive and 12th overall appearance in the NCAA Division III Tournament. Washington U. has a 21-10-5 (.652) overall record in NCAA Tournament play with a pair of Final Four appearances in 1997 and 2009.
- Concordia and Wash. U. have only played one other time. The Cobbers fell 2-1 in overtime on Oct. 25, 2010 in a game played in St. Louis. Current Cobber senior Sarah Rounds scored CC's only goal in the loss. Ali Nelson was also the goalie in that game and made 14 saves. Seven players on Concordia's 2012 roster played in the game back in 2010.
- Concordia-Moorhead head coach Dan Weiler was named the MIAC Coach of the Year for the fourth time in his 11-year career. Weiler has a 144-57-24 career record at CC and is the winningest coach in the history of the program.
- Concordia-Moorhead is led in scoring by senior All-American Sarah Rounds (Plymouth, Minn./Wayzata HS). Rounds has 13 goals and 12 assists for 38 total points on the year. It is her third straight season with at least 30 points. Rounds has 136 career points entering sectional play and needs one more to tie the all-time school record in points.
- Rounds was named the MIAC Player of the Year in 2011 and 2012. She is only the second player in league history to win the award in back-to-back seasons. A Cobber player has now won conference player of the year honors in five of the past nine seasons.
- Senior goalie Ali Nelson (Maple Grove, Minn.) has played every minute of every game for the Cobbers this season. She has 17 wins on the year and 57 for her career. She is the school's all-time win leader for goalies. Nelson also holds the program for most shutouts in a career (40).
- Concordia has outscored its opponents 44-18 this season. That includes a 19-4 margin in the second half.
- The Cobbers have scored two or more goals in 15 games this season. They scored a season-high six goals at St. Olaf on Oct. 20. The Oles went on to finish second in the MIAC regular-season standings.
- Concordia has only been shut out twice this season. The Cobbers were blanked by Carleton on Sept. 22 and then again in the conference tournament championship against Augsburg. CC went on to beat the Auggies in the penalty kick shootout.