Cornell sneaks past Central men’s soccer team

MOUNT VERNON — A pair of second-half goals by the Cornell College men’s soccer team gave it the edge in a 3-2 loss for Central College Wednesday afternoon.

The Dutch (1-6-1) ended a dubious five-match scoring streak and even led the match for much of the night against the Rams (4-3-1).

Following a Ram penalty kick in the first half, Caleb Gymer (freshman, forward, Bondurant, Bondurant-Farrar HS) scored unassisted to level the match in the 42nd minute. He converted a penalty kick of his own in the 50th minute to put Central on top 2-1.

“Given our struggles in front of the goal lately, he was a huge positive tonight,” coach Garry Laidlaw said. “We even trusted him to take the penalty.”

Cornell struck in the 71st and 73rd minute to put the game out of reach for the Dutch.

“We’ve defended so well this year,” Laidlaw said. “To concede three goals tonight is probably the biggest disappointment.”

The Dutch have had a bevy of players miss some or all of the fall season due to a rash of injuries. One of those players, Matthew Neuhalfen (junior, midfielder, Glenwood) made his return after a six-game absence. He had a significant role as a freshman in the spring of 2021 but has only played three games in 2021 and 2022.

“He provided some great organization and leadership,” Laidlaw said.

Central opens American Rivers Conference play Saturday at 1 p.m on the road at the University of Dubuque.