Offense ignites in second half of Central men’s soccer win
PELLA — Limited to a single shot in the first half, the Central College men’s soccer team got three goals in the second half to pick up a 3-0 victory against Coe College Saturday afternoon.
It was the season opener for both the Dutch (1-0-0, 1-0-0 American Rivers Conference) and the Kohawks (0-1-0, 0-1-0 conference).
“Coe was a vastly improved side from last year,” coach Garry Laidlaw said. “We knew they would be and the score line today does not reflect that but the game on the pitch did.”
It took three minutes of the second half for Central to get its first goal when forward Nathan Casas (junior, Cottage Grove, Minn,. East Ridge HS) struck from outside the box and found a sliver along the right post. He added another unassisted effort later in the half.
“I loved our response at halftime,” Laidlaw said. “We were not at our best in the first half and played a little unsettled. Nathan pulled two fantastic goals out of his bag and that really settled the game.”
Zach Worster (junior, forward, Saint Peters, Mo., Saint Dominic HS) added a 74th minute goal on a a Mitchel Laihinen (junior, defender, Rosemount, Minn.) assist.
In his first collegiate match, John Foster (freshman, Lee’s Summit, Mo., North HS) went the distance between the pipes, making a save to earn a shutout.
“I was so happy John ended up with a clean sheet because he did not put a foot wrong today,” Laidlaw said. “His decision making and shot stopping were tremendous.”
Foster was one of three freshmen starters for the Dutch as he was joined by defender Nathan Kuhlman (freshman, Lee’s Summit, Mo., North HS) and midfielder Gabe Wilson (freshman, Altoona, Southeast Polk HS).
“I can’t say enough about the new players,” Laidlaw said. “Nathan was steady and calm in his first collegiate game. Gabe had a tough test today because they had some fast athletic players. I thought he handled it very well and got better as the game went on.”
Central will travel to Loras College Saturday for its next match.
