Central scores early for first men’s soccer win

Central College

Central College

WATERTOWN, WIS. — Central College made an early score stand up for its first men’s soccer victory in 2014, 1-0 at Maranatha Baptist (Wis.) Friday.

Midfielder Dennis Forrest (senior, Danville, Ill.) maneuvered around a defender on the right wing and fired a hard ball into the box which rebounded to midfielder Salvador Villanueva (freshman, Morris, Ill.) who capitalized for the game’s only score just 3:25 into the contest.

But the Dutch (1-3) had to weather an aggressive Maranatha Baptist first-half attack that was also wind-aided.

“It was a very windy day,” coach Garry Laidlaw said. “The temperature dropped about 20 degrees and it was tough to play into the wind like we did in the first half. (Maranatha Baptist) was playing a lot of long balls into the box. Our defense withstood that. (Goalkeeper) Austin Little (sophomore, Des Moines, Lincoln HS) and our backs did a great job.

“Jeremy (Dolder) (junior, Iowa City, West HS) and Adelmo Marchiori (sophomore, Carlinville, Ill.) played well and Zach Butters (freshman, West Des Moines, Valley HS) continues to be a real inspiration in the middle of the back.”

Playing with the wind in the second half, the Dutch kept the game firmly in their grasp.

“In the second half we really pressed them well,” Laidlaw said. “We put ourselves in good position a few more times. Overall, I was really pleased with our performance and effort.”

The Dutch were outshot in the first half 9-4 but held an 11-7 advantage after the break. Maranatha Baptist (0-1) held a 6-5 edge in shots on goal.

“We still need to do a better job of hitting the target,” Laidlaw said.

But the Dutch are making strides in other areas.

“We had excellent contributions off the bench,” Laidlaw said. “(Midfielder) Nathaniel Holte (junior, Kirksville, Mo.) came in and picked up the energy with good tackling against one of their best players. (Back) Owen Shawgo (sophomore, Nevada) played well and midfielder Spencer Boeyink (senior, Pella) probably had his best game of the year. It was nice to see him utilize his pace and quickness.”

Central travels to Naperville, Ill. to take on North Central College (Ill.) Saturday at 4 p.m., in the second half of a women’s-men’s doubleheader. The Cardinals, off since a 2-1 win at Dominican University (Ill.) Wednesday, are 2-1.

“(Friday’s win) lifts our spirits but we have less than 24 hours to enjoy it,” Laidlaw said. “North Central is off to a great start. They’ve been ranked in the top 10 in their region. We’re looking forward to playing them.”

Posted by on Sep 8 2014. Filed under College Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.

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