Appenzeller fuels Dutch in men’s soccer victory
Central College
PELLA—One is just not enough for Central College midfielder Jordan Appenzeller (junior, Boone).
Scoring eight of his 11 career goals in pairs, Appenzeller notched both goals in the 2-0 Dutch victory over Nebraska Wesleyan University Wednesday evening in Pella.
“He tends to score in twos,” coach Garry Laidlaw said. “That’s carried over from last year. It’s good to see him get on the board this season. We need him to be a force up there and he showed his true potential today.”
Appenzeller found the back of the net in the 24th and 52nd minutes, scoring both goals unassisted.
“For the first goal there was a scramble and he happened to be Johnny-on-the-spot to pick up the loose ball and tuck it away,” Laidlaw said. “And his second goal was a great solo effort, running past two or three defenders and then utilizing his power.”
Central limited the Prairie Wolves to six shots, two in the second period, in the squad’s first shutout of the year. The Dutch posted eight shutouts last season.
“We’re always happy to get a clean sheet,” Laidlaw said. “We started the game slowly, which was disappointing, but we came on 15-20 minutes in and found our legs.”
Goalkeeper Tim Maggard (sophomore, Torrance, Calif., South HS) picked up the win and had one save in the full 90 minutes.
“Tim had a few tricky balls but he was solid on those like he usually is,” Laidlaw said. “We contained Nebraska Wesleyan well. The back four did a great job.”
The Dutch emptied the bench midway through the second period.
“Almost everyone who dressed, played,” Laidlaw said. “The players are really giving us selection issues, which is a great problem to have.”
Laidlaw highlighted the spark the bench provided.
“The non-starters not only did their job today, they picked us up when we started flat and they gave us a renewed sense of energy which we rode the rest of the match.”
Central was called offsides six times and is an area the Dutch can improve.
“They started to tire and were gambling,” Laidlaw said. “It’s a risky game when you’re playing a high line—it can be successful but it can also be costly. They gambled and we didn’t read the situation soon enough and we got caught. It’s something we’ll work on.”
The Dutch begin an Illinois road series Saturday in Bloomington, tackling Millikin University (Ill.) at 1 p.m. and meeting Illinois Wesleyan University Sunday at 1 p.m.
“It’s always tough to go back-to-back,” Laidlaw said. “It’s something we try to avoid. We’ll rely on our depth again and we look forward to playing two teams in a tradition-rich conference (College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin).”
Millikin (0-3 overall) edged the Dutch 1-0 in the season opener last year. The all-time series is knotted 1-1.
