CU's Kaitlyn Tebbs scored the tying goal with 127 seconds left to play in regulation.
Concordia Completes Comeback to Advance in NAIA National Championships
DECATUR, Ala.—After tying the game in the closing moments of regulation, Concordia senior Jessica Ramback cracked the golden goal as the Cavaliers defeated McKendree University 2-1 in the second round of the NAIA Women’s Soccer National Championships.
With the win, Concordia (20-2-0) advances to the quarterfinals to face Cal Baptist in a rematch from mid September. The two sides played when the Lancers were ranked No. 1 in the NAIA and Concordia No.2 with Cal Baptist notching a 3-0 win over the Cavaliers.
The quarterfinal match between the two squads is set to begin at 1 p.m. (CST) with the winner moving on to the semifinals. Concordia will be making its eighth straight appearance in the NAIA’s ‘Elite Eight’. Over that span, the Cavaliers have made four ‘Final Fours’ with two championship appearances.
The contest will also give the Cavs the opportunity to avenge both of its losses this year as CU posted a win over College of Idaho in the Cascade Collegiate Conference championship match after falling to the Yotes earlier in the regular season.
Neither team would generate a score in the first half of play as Concordia outshot the Bearcats 7 to 3 through the first 45 minutes, but deep into the second half, McKendree (17-3-2) broke the scoreless match open in the 80th minute as senior Sarah Ryan launched an unassisted blast into the far post. Acting on a fast break, Ryan fired from 20 yards out and connected on a low drive which snuck past CU’s diving goalkeeper Georgie Christensen.
With time winding down, Kaitlyn Tebbs buried a loose ball from deep inside the Bearcats’ box to even the score at 1-1 with just over two minutes to play. The Cavs fired several attempts at the net in the waning moments but settled for taking the game into overtime, the first such occurrence in the tournament.
Maintaining possession for much of the extra session, Concordia denied the Bearcats a shot at the goal while taking a pair of their own, the second of which concluded the contest in the 96th minute of play.
At the 95:05 mark, Ramback advanced the ball up the middle of the pitch and found her way into a 1-on-1 situation with McKendree keeper Liz Yanko where Ramback, sliding to get the touch, poked the ball over the Bearcat defense for the game-ending score.
“We have been able to play well with our backs against the wall,” CU head coach Grant Landy said. “I think it goes back to setting up our schedule where we were tested in close games. Games like today are the reason we play those tough opponents.”
Concordia finished with a 20 to 5 advantage in overall shot attempts and 4 to 3 in corner kick opportunities. Fourteen of CU’s 20 shots were recorded as on-goal while McKendree had three total shots on goal. Yanko ended the match with 11 saves while Christensen was credited with one save, a punch above the crossbar in an open open-field attempt for the Bearcats in the second half, to take the win.
“We created enough chances, but their goalkeeper played well,” Landy said. “It’s the story of our season; letting teams stay in the game, but I am extremely pleased with how we played today. Tebbs has come up big for us the past month and our freshman played really well once they settled down.”