SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - The Concordia-St. Paul soccer team (10-8-1, 8-6-1) lost in a heartbreaking 2-1 game in the first round of the NSIC conference tournament to Augustana (13-2-1, 11-1-3 NSIC) on Wednesday afternoon. The Bears were down 1-0 at half, but tied it up in the 66^th minute. It would remain tied until the 88^th minute when Augustana would find the back of the net to secure the win.
 
This was Concordia's eighth trip to the NSIC post-season and their second trip in the past three years. However, this was their first matchup with Augustana in the playoffs. Earlier in the season the Bears lost 5-2 at Augustana, as the Vikings were awarded two penalty kicks that led to their first and last goals in the game. This time around, it was a much tighter game from start to finish as play went back and forth the entire match.
 
"A very sad way to end a terrific season for CSP soccer. At 1-1 we really looked more likely to go on to win it and created enough chances to do so. We are kicking ourselves for not doing so. Sometimes the game can be cruel; however, we know that the future is bright for our program. We wish Augustana the best of luck in the next round," seventh-year head coach Steve Bellis said after the match.
 
The first half started a little slow for the Bears, as the Vikings would go on to hold a 9-2 shot advantage in the half. The first chance that CSP had came in the seventh minute when junior Jordan Rowan-Stafford cleared some space and fired a shot that went just wide. The Vikings opened up the scoring with a goal in the 25^th minute when Ellie Knowles lofted a shot that found its way over goalkeeper Emily Nelson's head and into the net.  The Bears held the Vikings for the rest of the half and had some chances of their own, including when freshman Kiara Myers raced against some Augustana's defenders and managed to take a shot on goal in the 37^th minute of the half. Despite this, the game went into the break with the Bears trailing 1-0.
 
The second half opened up with two early chances for the Vikings in the 47^th minute; however, that was the only shots they would take for the next forty minutes of the half. Most of the half belonged to the Bears as they continually threatened the Vikings' defense. CSP's relentless effort was rewarded when Rowan-Stafford took a pass from Myers and buried it in the top right corner of the net, tying the game up at one apiece. This was Rowan-Stafford's third consecutive game with a goal and her fifth goal overall this season. She finished the season with 16 points, the highest on the team and tied for the tenth highest in the NSIC. Myers tallied her second assist of the year on the play and finished her freshman campaign with a total of six points. After the goal, the Bear's continued their pressure and put up some nice shots, but were unable to convert.
 
The Vikings, despite barely having the ball on the Bears' side of the field all half, were able to score again in the 88^th minute, when a few bad bounces allowed Mackenzie Main to finish a play in the top right corner of the net. The Bears were not able to get a shot off in the last two minutes of the game, although they had a chance off a set piece ten yards outside the box, but it was cleared before the Bears could capitalize. The final ended 2-1 in favor of Augustana.

The Bears held the shot advantage (6-4) in the second half and ended the game with the same amount of shots on goal as the Vikings (4-4). Concordia's defense also held the Viking's offense to only 13 shots, when they normally average 18.2 shots per game.
 
Seniors Kelli Heytens and Shannon Wynne ended their Concordia career with a memorable season, as the Bears broke their record for the most NSIC games won in a season and tied the record for the most season shutouts (7) in Concordia Division II history. Heytens played in 54 total games for CSP and tallied two goals and two assists in her career. She served as a team captain during her senior season and played all but eleven minutes this year. Wynne, who was also a captain this season, played in 72 total games for the Bears, recording 4,942 total minutes. She had five career assists, three of which came during this season.