Cobbers And Pipers Swap 2-Goal Stretches In St. Paul

ST. PAUL, Minn. (9/26/23)---8-minutes into their game at Hamline, Concordia looked like they were going to run away and hide to pick up their second conference win of the year. The Cobbers netted a pair of goals before the contest reached the 10-minute mark and were on their front foot.

Unfortunately for the Cobbers, the Pipers were able to weather the storm, scored a goal in each half, and the game finished in a 2-2 tie.

The tie keeps Concordia's overall record at the .500 level. CC is now 4-4-1 in all games. They are 1-2-1 in the conference. Hamline moves to 4-2-2 overall and 0-2-2 in league play.

THE 411: Senior Matthew Nemer set up the first Cobber strike. He served the ball into the penalty area from the right wing, where Gannon Brooks was able to settle the cross and hammer it into the back of the net. The game's first goal came at 4:43 and was Brooks' fourth of the season.

Freshman Owen Gallo put Concordia up 2-0 when he used his speed to beat the Piper backline around the corner on the left wing. He then slid the ball past the HU goalie and into the far-right corner of the net. The second goal of the game came only 3:17 after the opening tally.

The goal was also Gallo's fourth of the year.

Hamline survived the early onslaught and started getting back into the game at the 15-minute mark. They were rewarded at 20:46 when an attacker curled in a left-footed shot from 20 yards out of goal after he took a back pass from a teammate.

The game would stay at 2-1 until the 20th minute of the second half. The game-tying goal came after a goalmouth scramble. Hamline served the ball into the middle of the penalty area from the left wing, and the ball was knocked around until it came to the foot of an attacker. He beat a Cobber defender and then tied the game at 64:53.

Both teams had offensive opportunities in the final 20 minutes of play, with Concordia putting up a pair of shots on net that were denied by the Piper keeper.

THE NEXT LEVEL: The second half of conference games haven't been kind to the Cobbers in 2023. Concordia has been outscored 12-2 in their first four league games of the year. The Cobbers' two goals in the second 45 minutes of play came in the MIAC opener at St. Scholastica.

BY THE NUMBERS: The Cobbers outshot the Piper in each half. CC held a 13-5 advantage in total shots in the first half and an 11-9 margin in the second stanza. Concordia held a 24-14 edge in total shots for the game and a 10-6 lead in shots on goal. The Pipers had four more corner kicks in the game (7-3).

INDIVIDUALLY SPEAKING: Leo Dunor led all players with six total shots in the game. Dunor, Brooks and Gallo all had two shots on goal. Both Brooks and Gallo had three total shots. Dunor leads Concordia in shots this season. He has 32 total shots and 13 on frame. His 32 shots are the third most in the MIAC. Concordia goalie Jensen Waltz made four saves in the game.    

UP NEXT: Concordia will stay on the road for its next MIAC contest. CC will play St. Mary's in Winona on Saturday, Sept. 30 at 12:30 p.m.