2017-18 Stories of the Year (No. 5): Men's Soccer wins NACC Title

MEQUON, Wis. – The 2017-18 athletic year was another successful one for the Concordia Wisconsin Athletic Department. The Falcons won and contended for conference championships in many sports and put together an impressive list of great achievements. As in years past, the Department of Athletic Communications tries to sort through all the great moments and give you, the fans, top stories from the past year.

The list of stories was compiled by the Department of Athletic Communications and, like all lists, is subject to debate. The top stories will be revealed over the next three weeks, with a story being released on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The top story will be released on June 21.

Story No. 5

Men’s Soccer returns to the top of the NACC

The Concordia University Wisconsin Men’s Soccer team had another outstanding season on the pitch in 2017. The Falcons captured their second NACC regular season title in three years, posting a 9-1 conference record.

CUW opened conference play with five-straight wins, two of those in overtime. CUW defeated Benedictine, 1-0 in overtime on September 23, and rallied for a thrilling 5-4 overtime win against Wisconsin Lutheran on October 4. Against the Warriors, the Falcons trailed 4-1 with 20 minutes remaining in regulation before scoring three times to force the extra session.

After a setback against Dominican, the Falcons posted four-straight NACC wins to close the regular season. Among those was another overtime win, a 3-2 victory at MSOE on October 18.

What was perhaps most impressive about the Falcons NACC Championship was the number of injuries the team had to overcome. Only two players played in all 18 matches during the season. In 10 conference games, only four players started each contest as the team rotated through a different starting lineup seemingly every match.

After leading the Falcons to a NACC Championship, head coach Tom Saleska was named the league’s Coach of the Year. Gavin Falotico and Dagoberto Diaz were First Team All-NACC performers, while Colin Dibb, Luis Loya, and Owen Hanisko were Second Team selections. Falotico (Second Team), Dibb (Third Team), and Diaz (Third Team) were also All-Region selections.

2017-18 CUW Athletics Stories of the Year
HM: Individual athletes honored as the best
No. 5: Men’s Soccer back on top of the NACC
No. 4: June 12
No. 3: June 14
No. 2: June 19
No. 1: June 21