DULUTH, Minn. - The Concordia-St. Paul soccer team (3-1-1, 1-0-1 NSIC) tied the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs (4-1-1, 1-1-1 NSIC) for the second year in a row on Sunday afternoon at James S. Malosky Stadium. The Golden Bears scored twice in the first half and the Bulldogs scored twice in the second, but neither team was able to score in the two overtimes.

"At 2-0 we probably should've taken all 3 points but we came across some windy conditions and a lot of pressure from UMD. We look to bounce back stronger next weekend," head coach Steve Bellis shared after the game.

Within the past three years, the Bears have gone 1-1-1 against Minnesota Duluth. In their 2016 matchup, the game also ended in a tie, but with a 1-1 score. In that game, regulation play ended in dramatic fashion as midfielder Mary Kaiser scored within the last 40 seconds to force the overtimes.

Coming into this year's match, Concordia was coming off a 1-0 victory over St. Cloud State in their NSIC opener. Forward Brook Salo came through with a goal in the 54^th minute, lifting the Bears over St. Cloud. The Bulldogs, on the other hand, were coming off a 1-0 loss in overtime against Minnesota State.

The Bears got off to a great start in the first half with lots of pressure on the Bulldog side of the field. Sophomore defender Hannah Pavek opened up the scoring for the Bears within the first ten minutes of play, as she fired a shot over the top of the goalie from over 25 yards out. This goal marked Pavek's first career points for the Golden Bears. Junior midfielder Jordan Rowan-Stafford was credited with the assist, for her fourth point of the year.

Pavek's great performance for the Bears did not end with her goal. In the 35^th minute of play she crossed the ball to teammate Leah Johnson who buried it in the left corner of the net. This was Pavek's first career assist, as well as Johnson's first career goal. The Concordia offense has now had eight different players score for them, showing their depth and versatility.

The Bears held the shot advantage over the Bulldogs in the first half, 10-4. Six different players took shots for CSP, with junior captain Jade Weller taking a team-leading four shots. Concordia also had some chances off of the seven corner kicks that were taken in the half. The Bulldogs were held to only four shots in the first half, none of which were on goal. The Bears headed into halftime with a 2-0 lead.

The second half was played more on the defensive end, as the Bears were outshot 12-2. The Bulldogs scored in the 66^th minute by a goal from sophomore Emily Hinz about 20 yards out and tied it up less than ten minutes later by a header goal by Lizzy Fontes.

The first overtime was back and forth with neither team being able to get a shot off. The Bears got two shots off in the second overtime session and kept the pressure on the Bulldogs with their strong offensive presence. Despite a few offensive chances for the Bears, the score would remain tied as the second overtime ended with a score of 2-2.

Jordyn Clark recorded six saves in the game, five of which were in the second half and one in the second overtime. She is now 2-0-1 on the season.  
   
After playing back to back games this weekend, the Bears have a short break before taking on Southwest Minnesota State on September 22^nd at 7 p.m. at Sea Foam Stadium. Come support CSP soccer in person or watch online at cspbears.com/watch.