Reversal of fortune for Central men’s soccer squad

Central College

OLIVET, MICH. — A day after being done in by a late goal, the Central College men’s soccer scored in the waning moments to beat Olivet College (Mich.) 1-0 Sunday.

Much like Saturday’s game, Central (1-1) was locked in an 0-0 draw late in the game. Following a corner kick by Salvador Vilanueva (junior, Morris, Ill.), a mad scramble ensued inside the box before Kiel Pederson (sophomore, Arlington Heights, Ill, John Hersey HS) put the ball into the back of the net 88 minutes and 11 seconds into the 90-minute affair.

“The ball dangled right in front of the goal line for what seemed like an eternity,” coach Garry Laidlaw said. “Fortunately, we got the final touch. Kiel was really hungry and put it in.”

Also much like the Alma game, Central drastically outshot the Comets (0-2) 13-5, including 9-0 in the second half.

“There were similarities to yesterday’s game,” Laidlaw said. “I like the fact that we seemed to get stronger as the game went in. I thought we tried to change the tempo to fit our style and we created more chances.”

The biggest difference was simple, the Dutch got the result they were desiring.

“It’s good to be on the other end of this one after yesterday,” Laidlaw said. “We worked tirelessly both days and it would have been harsh if we wouldn’t have been able to pull it out today.”

Senior goalie Josh Carpenter (Chelsea, Ala.) showed stellar play once again, keeping Olivet off the scoreboard while corralling four saves.

“He’s started his season really well.” Laidlaw said. “Both teams this weekend dealt him a lot of high balls and he handled them all. He seems confident and he’s doing what he needs to do right now.”

Central will face Augustana College (Ill.) in its home opener, Wednesday at 5 p.m.