From Roses And Balloons To Weeds And An Empty String
Concordia took a 2-1 lead over Bethel in the first minute of the second half but then conceded four unanswered goals and lost 5-2 to the third-place Royals.
MOORHEAD, Minn. (10/23/24)--- 47 seconds into the second half and the world seemed full of roses and balloons for the Cobbers. Less than 20 minutes later it was weeds and a handful of empty strings.
Senior Mason Weninger scored a terrific "turn, touch and shoot" goal to start the second half which gave the Concordia a 2-1 lead. Unfortunately for CC, third-place Bethel scored four unanswered goals to claim a 5-2 victory in the final home conference game of the season for the Cobbers.
The teams were deadlocked at the break with the Royals scoring at the 23:13 mark and Concordia countering with a goal from a corner kick at 36:56. Sophomore Rico Rolle rose above his defender to head home the cross from Noah Meyer to tie the score at 1-1. The goal was Rolle's team-leading second of the season.
The second half got off to a perfect start for Concordia when Weninger took possession of the ball just outside the top of the Royals' penalty area on the left side of the field. Weninger turned to face the goal, took a couple of touches to beat a Bethel defender and get the the ball to his right foot and then pounded a rocket of a shot into the far corner of the goal.
Weninger's hammer strike at 45:47 was his first of the year and gave Concordia a 2-1 lead. Fellow senior Edwin Rasidovic earned his first assist of the season on the play.
The lead would last a little over 14 minutes when Bethel scored a trio of goals only 3:27 apart. They tied the game at the 59:55 mark, broke out to a 3-2 lead at 60:15 and posted the insurance marker at 63:22.
The Royals finished off the score line with a goal at 72:17 that pushed the final score to 5-2.
Concordia was outshot 26-8 in total shots and 16-3 in shots on goal. Bethel also held the advantage in corner kicks at 14-2.
Cobber goalie Jensen Waltz made 11 saves with several huge stops coming at the start of the second half.
The Cobbers will host their final non-conference game of the season when they face Wis.-Stout on Saturday, Oct. 26 at 3:30 p.m.
CONCORDIA vs. BETHEL HIGHLIGHTS
