Early goals yield Central a men’s soccer victory
Central Dutch Athletics
PELLA — Two goals in the first half was all the offense the Central College men’s soccer team needed in a 2-0 win over Buena Vista University Wednesday.
Central (10-4-0, 3-3-0 IIAC) picked up its third conference win of the season over the Beavers (4-11-1, 1-5-0 IIAC). It’s the 10th straight for the Dutch over Buena Vista.
In a span of two-and-half minutes in the first half, midfielder Kiel Pederson (junior, Arlington Heights, Ill., John Hersey HS) assisted on goals for both midfielder Salvador Villanueva (senior, Morris, Ill.) and forward Miguel Pina (junior, Chicago, Ill., Taft HS). Pederson leads the Dutch with six assists.
“Kiel serves up a great ball,” Laidlaw said. “He’s done that consistently in his three years and we certainly needed that today.”
Pina leads the team with nine goals on the year with four coming in conference matches.
“Miguel is another consistent player for us,” Laidlaw said. “He’s been chipping in all season for us in these important conference games. Big players show up and he’s been showing up all season.”
Aside from a late goal, Laidlaw was pleased with what he saw from his defense led by defenders Taylor Petkvoich (sophomore, Littleton, Colo., Heritage HS), Landon Daniels (sophomore, Webster City) and goalkeeper Salvador Salado-Herrera (freshman, Brooklyn Park, Minn., Park Center HS). Salado-Herrera had one save while Petkovich and Daniels played the full 90 minutes.
“I was disappointed in the way we conceded that late goal,” Laidlaw said. “Overall, I thought we defended really well today, especially in the first half against a pretty touch wind. We really were able to limit their chances.”
With just two games remaining in the regular season, Central is in the hunt for one of six spots in the Iowa Conference tournament. A win or a tie at Luther College (8-4-3, 4-1-0 IIAC) on Saturday would go a long towards securing a berth
“Luther is an excellent team,” Laidlaw said. “Our approach right now is that we need more points. We want to go at them and give it our best shot.”
