Rounds Gets Record But Then Round Of 16 Turns Sour

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (11/16/12)—Concordia conceded a penalty kick goal in the 71^st minute of play and fell 2-1 to Washington Univ. in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. The Cobbers scored the game's first goal but then gave up two unanswered goals and lost in the round of 16 for the second straight year.

The team outcome overshadowed the individual effort, and school record play, of senior All-American Sarah Rounds. Rounds was a one-player offensive wrecking crew in the first half. She continually found space in front of the Wash. U. back line and then created chances by talking defenders on 1 v. 1. Rounds wasted little time in giving Concordia their dream start when she hammered home a left-footed shot at the 9:12 mark.

"We couldn't have asked for a better start to the game," remarked head coach Dan Weiler. "That type of play is what makes Sarah so special."

Rochelle Hickerson was credited with the assist on the play as she drew defenders out wide to open space for Rounds.  

The first goal of the game put CC up 1-0 but also gave Rounds the school record for most career points. She entered the game with 136 career points, one shy of the record of 137 set by Angie Tohm. Her laser shot pushed her career total to 138 points and her season mark to 40 points. It is the first time that Rounds has reached the 40-point mark in a single season.

Concordia had several other chances to go ahead by two goals during the first half but could never connect on the crossing pass or just had the ball cleared before being able to get a shot off.

Perhaps the biggest play of the game came in the final 10 minutes of the opening period. A Concordia defender was whistled for a foul on the right wing, seven yards off of the Cobbers' end line. The subsequent cross was headed away by the CC defense but it went right to a Wash. U. player standing 20 yards out in the middle of the field. Nicole Martin then headed the ball back towards the net and it went just over the head of the Cobber defense and into the net.

"That was probably the turning point of the game," said Weiler. "If we could have gotten into half with the 1-0 lead it would have changed the tone of the second half."   

Martin's first of two goals in the game at 35:31 ignited the Bears and gave them the momentum into halftime.

Wash U. would keep the momentum going in the second half.  The Bears wound up outshooting Concordia 16-3 in the second half but most of the chances came from outside the penalty area.

The Cobbers had the best chance of the second half before the game-winning goal but senior defender Nikole Koehn's header was cleared off the line by a WU defensive back.

The game-winning goal came from an innocent confrontation on the left edge of the penalty area. One of the Bears' attackers was dribbling away from goal when she was run into from behind by a CC defender. The Wash. U. player fell to the ground and the referee deemed it enough of a foul to give the Bears a spot kick. Martin then stepped up and buried the spot kick in the left side of the net at the 70:10.

Concordia would only have a couple of chances in the final 19-minutes of play and each time the Bears' defense was able clear the ball away from danger around the penalty area.

"You have to give Wash. U. a lot of credit," said Weiler. "They played well in the second half and were able to stop us from getting the ball into dangerous areas."

The Cobbers were outshot 24-9 in total shots for the game with most of that margin coming in the second half. Wash. U. held a 15-5 edge in shots on goal. There was only one corner kick in the game with CC gaining the only advantage in that statistical category.

Concordia senior goalie Ali Nelson made 13 saves while Clara Jaques stopped three shots for the Bears.   

The Cobbers finish the 2012 season with a 17-4-2 record. The 17 overall wins is the second most in school history.