Tacoma, Wash. - Amidst the rain and the chilly temperatures in Tacoma, the University of Redlands men's soccer team knocked off first-time qualifier Concordia University (TX) in a 2-0 decision during Saturday's opening round of the 2021 NCAA Division III Championships.

The Bulldogs improve to 16-2-1 on the season and will face host Pacific Lutheran University (WA) on Sunday in a 3 p.m. match-up on East Field.  The Lutes (14-5-1) stunned the No. 2-ranked Trinity University (TX) Tigers in the earlier first-round game by advancing on penalty kicks following a 1-1 tie.

Against the Tornados, Redlands put together a productive first half to secure the program's 12^th opening-round win in the NCAA playoffs.   The Bulldogs immediately pressured CU's goalkeeper Joshua Redding by earning a corner kick in the fourth minute of action.  Over the next few minutes, senior defender Peyton Menti (Seattle, WA) and graduate defender Arian Mogharei (Hayward, CA) each uncorked a shot, but they missed just off the frame.

In the 18^th minute, Redlands worked the ball down the left flank, before sophomore defender Skylar Darwen (Los Angeles, CA) took the diagonal toward the goal where he unleashed a low, driven shot that forced Redding to make another stop.  However, the ball was deflected in front of the net, where graduate student midfielder Collin ChubbFertal (Eugene, OR) poked it in for the 1-0 lead at the 17:02-mark of the first half.  With the score, ChubbFertal now ranks 10^th all-time in Redlands' history and ties his brother Casey with 28 goals in his career.

With the lead, Head Coach Ralph Perez sent fresh legs into the game, including junior forward Quinn Richards (San Clemente, CA), who immediately made an impact.  After Mogharei unleashed a shot that was saved by Redding, the loose ball found junior forward Jamie Dulle's (St, Louis, MO) feet.  Dulle immediately put the rebound back into play, which allowed Richards to tap it into the back of the net for the Maroon and Grey's insurance goal.

The 2-0 advantage held up in the second half, as Redlands maintained a clean sheet for the postseason victory.  Behind the defensive efforts of graduate student Mikey Flota (West Covina, CA), junior Matt Beasley (Las Vegas, NV), Menti, and Darwen, sophomore goalkeeper Seth Lawrence (Redlands, CA) preserved the shutout by making three saves on the night.

Overall, Concordia tallied nine shots, while the Bulldogs notched six.  Each team recorded three corner kicks by the final whistle.

Concordia completes the 2021 season with a 10-5-5 record that included a 7-1-2 showing as the American Southwest Conference champion.