Great Falls (16-4-0) scored the game-winner in heartbreaking fashion as Jimmy Sliwa headed in a goal through a crowd from 10 yards out following a corner.

The goal also quickly wiped away the good feeling Concordia (16-2-1) had after putting in an equalizer in the 82nd minute of the match to draw even at 2-2. That score also came off a corner, which senior Matt Caniglia took for the Cavs, sending it to Patrick Allred on the same side of the box from where he took the corner. Once with the ball, Allred launched a shot from 17 yards out on the far right wing.

Allred’s score also marked the sophomore’s first goal of his career as a Cavalier. It came at a good time too as Great Falls had taken over the momentum of the match at that point with two second-half scores from the team’s All-American Ryan O’Neil. Both goals from O’Neil came within five minutes of each other and wiped away a 1-0 lead that Concordia had had since the 24th minute.

O’Neil’s first score came in the 62nd minute after his teammate David Jimenez fed him a nice pass through a couple of Concordia defenders. Jimenez’s pass also led O’Neil enough to draw out CU goalkeeper Cole Dahle. Unfortunately for the Cavs, O’Neil beat Dahle to the ball, giving him an angle for a shot across the ground and to the right corner of the goal, which he converted.

Then in the 67th minute, O’Neil’s second goal came after Pedro Chavez fed him a slight touch at the top of the box for a good look from 15 yards out. Once again, given the opportunity, O’Neil converted for his second score of the night and 21st of the season.

O’Neil nearly struck again in the 81st minute after he received a long pass up to set him up 30 yards out. However, CU’s Jordan Green met O’Neil right away and the two battled one-on-one for about 20 yards before Green came away with the stop.

The play from Green came at a critical time for the Cavs as any score from O’Neil in the 81st minute would have put Great Falls up 3-1. With the dispossession, CU had the chance to come back to tie it at 2-2.

Before O’Neil’s outburst of offense, Concordia opened the scoring in the 24th minute when Michael Chamberlain shot into an open net from 10 yards out. The play started when senior co-captain Facundo Dipascuale led fellow captain Evan Denmark with a long pass up the right-hand side of the field. Denmark eventually chased down the pass and sent a cross to Chamberlain from the right goal line. Great Falls’ goalkeeper Zach Johnson got caught out of position on the cross as he positioned himself far out on the near post. Denmark’s ball sailed over him, though, and found Chamberlain on the back post who then just had to send it across the ground into the goal for an easy score.

Overall, Great Falls used a 12-to-4 advantage in shots in the second half to post an 18-to-11 advantage in shots for the entire game. Great Falls also took home advantages in shots on goal (9-to-3) and corners (6-to-5).

In goal, Johnson saved one shot, while CU’s Dahle saved five in the match.

While Concordia lost, the match still marked the fifth time the team had played in the NAIA Opening Round in the last seven years.