KEARNEY, Neb. – After a 1-0 win over Western State on Friday to start the year, the Concordia-St. Paul soccer team earned a 2-1 victory over Nebraska-Kearney on a cloudy Sunday morning. In their first ever match up against Nebraska-Kearney it was the Lopers that struck first, scoring in the fifth minute, but the Golden Bears fought back scoring once in each half to secure a 2-0 start to the 2018 season.
 
The 2-0 record marks the first time that the Bears have won their first two games since the 2001 season, and only the second time that it has happened in the program's Division II history. That 2001 squad went on to win its first seven games in a row, finishing with ten overall wins.  
 
It was senior Katri Gifford who scored first for the Golden Bears, finishing off a cross from the right side of the field from freshman Jena Berkland, who recorded her first collegiate start in the contest. Gifford put herself in a good position, only a few yards away from the net behind the goalie and was in a perfect spot to put away Berkland's pass after she beat a Loper defender. The goal tied the game at 1-1, which is where it would stay for the remainder of the half.  
 
This was Gifford's fifth career goal and third point of the weekend, as she assisted Jade Weller's game-winning goal in Friday's match up with Western State. Berkland recorded her first collegiate point on the play, and would later add her first goal as a Golden Bear in the second half when she took a pass from junior Leah Johnson and popped it in over the goalie from the center of the box in the 51^st minute of play, giving the Bears a 2-1 lead. For Johnson, it was her second career assist and sixth overall career point.
 
The Lopers opened the game with a goal within the first five minutes, deflecting a 40-yard free kick into the net. After this early score, the Bears settled in and did not allow another shot for the rest of the half.  The CSP offense answered with five shots of their own, including Gifford's shot, which found the back of the net. Four of the team's five shots in the half were on net.  
 
In the second half the Bears continued to control much of the possession, once again only allowing one shot all half, which this time missed high. Concordia took four shots of their own, holding a 9-2 edge in overall shots throughout the game, including a 7-1 margin in shots on goal.
 
The win was an impressive team effort as twenty different Golden Bears saw action and seven different players took shots. In addition to Gifford and Berkland, teammates Jackie Ehlert, Cayla Renwick, Weller, and Kiara Myers all tallied shots on goal during the game. Junior Jordyn Clark recorded the win in net and is 1-0 on the year.
 
To finish out the non-conference portion of their season, the Bears travel to Viterbo in La Crosse, Wisconsin and will face the V-Hawks on Sunday, September 9^th. The conference schedule opens up the following weekend, with CSP hosting Upper Iowa on Friday, September 14^th and Winona State on Sunday, September 16^th.