ROCKFORD, ILL. – The Concordia-St. Paul soccer team (1-0) opened the 2019 season with a win over Missouri-St. Louis (0-1) in Rockford, Illinois on Thursday afternoon. Senior Leah Johnson scored in the 35^th minute and the Golden Bears were able to hold on to the lead for the remainder of the game to earn the victory.
 
The opening win marks the third year in a row that the Bears have started the season with a victory, and the eighth time in the school's overall Division II history. This was the second year in a row that CSP has started the year with a shutout victory. Last year's 1-0 victory was over Western State.


This was the first time that the Bears have faced Missouri-St. Louis and it was a back and forth game from start to finish. Both teams possessed the ball 50% of the time throughout the whole game. Concordia did hold a 10-5 margin in overall shots, while holding the Tritons to only two shots on goal, both of which were stopped by senior goalkeeper Jordyn Clark. The Bears were able to post four shots on goal of their own.
 
The Bears offense peppered the Tritons net early with six total shots in the first half. Sophomore Jena Berkland got the first shot on goal which was saved by UMSL's keeper Amber Hayes early in the first half at the 2-minute mark. At the 19^th minute Leah Johnson subbed in for Hannah Pedersen and 16 minutes later she took a pass from freshman teammate Katie Anderson and buried a shot from the right wing into the far-left side of the net. Johnson who didn't have a goal last year recorded her third career goal and first of the 2019 season. Anderson collected her first ever collegiate assist and point. The Tritons had a chance to even in the first half as they put up three shots with one on goal. 
 
The Bears went into the halftime break with a 6-3 edge in shots, and a 2-1 margin in shots on goal. The second half was a battle, as Concordia had four shots on net, with two on net. Missouri-St. Louis had two shots on net with one on goal. The tenacious Concordia defense, which tallied ten shutouts in 2018, held strong to help the team record the win. 
 
Johnson led the offense overall with two shots on goal, Berkland had two shots with one on goal and freshman Nikki Anderson had two shots as well. Senior Hannah Pavek tallied a shot, and Hannah Pedersen, Haleigh Bares, and Katie Glowinski tallied a shot as well. 
 
Clark, who was 5-2 last season, recorded the win in net, playing all 90 minutes for the Bears, while making two saves to earn the shutout.

Head coach Steve Bellis commented on his teams victory in their season opener, "It was nice to get a competitive game under our belts and very good to see the progress we've made through preseason to today.  We dominated possession and created more than enough chances to deserve the win. Defensively we gave up little and our offense looked dangerous with a number of players making an impact. Our seniors showed some great leadership and we managed the game very well. Exciting times ahead!'

The Golden Bears are off until Friday, September 13^th when they take on Parkside in Fayette, Iowa. They will then play Davenport on Sunday, September 15^th in Fayette. Live stats will be available, with links that can found on the soccer schedule page.