Something For Everyone In Duluth

DULUTH, Minn. (8/31/13)—There was something for everyone in Concordia's opening weekend of the year at the Advantage Emblem Cup in Duluth. The two games featured a game shortened by lightning, a dramatic late-game equalizer, a broken leg and big step forward for the Cobbers.

Concordia dropped the season opener 3-0 to a veteran UW-Superior team on Friday but then rallied to come away with a 1-1 tie with NCAA Tournament tested St. Scholastica. The game against the Saints was called in the 88^th minute because of lightning strikes and a thunderstorm that blew into the Duluth area.

Fielding a team that featured five newcomers in the starting lineup, the Cobbers improved from Friday to Saturday as they went back-and-forth with St. Scholastica in the 1-1 draw. The Saints, who have won three straight UMAC titles and were picked as the preseason favorite, drew first blood when they were awarded a penalty kick in the 70^th minute of play. Joe Watt converted the spot kick that went just under the finger tips of freshman goalkeeper Ben Glogoza.

Concordia pressed forward to find a way to get their first goal of the season and were rewarded less than 10 minutes later when senior Matt Glogoza won the ball in the middle of the field, played a pass to freshman Matthew Fulks who threaded a through ball to Brett Wegleitner who ran past the CSS defense.  Wegleitner then settled the pass with his chest and took one touch before slotting the ball into the lower left corner. The goal at 78:20 was Wegleitner's second of his career at Concordia.

The Cobbers held the better of the possession in the game while the Saints came away with more shots.  St. Scholastica outshot CC 14-9 in total shots and 7-4 in shots on goal. The Saints also held a decided 12-3 advantage in corner kicks. Glogoza made six saves in his first collegiate start.

Concordia's start to the 2013 campaign was not the way head coach Ben Schneweis had scripted as the Cobbers conceded a goal in the fifth minute of play after a CC defender missed a chance to settle the ball and watched as a UW-Superior attacking player ran onto the miscue and slotted it into the lower left corner.

The game was stopped for 30 minutes at the end of the first half when a Superior player broke his leg after a collision on a 50-50 ball in the middle of the field.

The team's went to the locker room to allow the ambulance on the field and then returned to finish the final two minutes of the opening period and then turned around and played the second half after a short break.

Concordia was never able to come up with a finishing strike and then gave up a second goal against the run of play in the 55^th minute. Superior tacked on a third goal when Karl Schmidtke hammered a ball from the top of the penalty area which nearly broke out the back of the net.

UW-Superior outshot Concordia 13-6 in all shots and 9-5 in shots on goal for the game. Cobber senior keeper Peter Runquist stopped six shots and made a pair of point-blank saves to keep CC within one goal in the first 50 minutes of play.

The Cobbers had a pair of players selected to the All-Tournament Team. Senior midfielders Wegleitner and Matt Glogoza were rewarded for their solid play in the middle of the field. It marks the second straight year that Wegleitner has been named to the Advantage Emblem Cup All-Tournament Team.   

Concordia will stay on the road and play their third non-conference game of the year at UM-Morris on Friday, Sept. 7 at 4 p.m.