Dutch men claw into conference tournament

PELLA – A 0-0 tie against Simpson College Tuesday afternoon was enough for the Central College men’s soccer team to earn the final spot in the American Rivers Conference postseason tournament.

On the final day of the regular season, both Central and Simpson were looking to claim one of the top six slots in the league standings. Simpson knew a win or a tie would guarantee a ticket to the quarterfinals. Central needed a win to be sure but a draw would keep it alive pending other conference results.

“It was a cagey affair from start to finish,” coach Garry Laidlaw said. “Both teams had something to gain and a lot to lose at the same time. It made for an interesting tactical battle.

Offensively, Central put six shots on frame with 10 total attempts.

“We had a triple chance early in the game, and kind of the way our season’s gone, we couldn’t get one of those to fall for us,” Laidlaw said. “In the second half, we tried to push a little harder without taking too many risks.”

Defenders Max Lauman (junior, Pella), Owen Stahl (junior, Batavia, Ill.) and Nathan Scholl (junior, Grimes, Dallas Center-Grimes HS) anchored the Dutch to its third shutout of the season.

“It starts in the back,” Laidlaw said. “Those three did tremendous. They’ve been a tight unit these last two matches.”

After starting the conference slate 1-3, Central notched three ties to close out the season. Most recently, the Dutch needed two second-half goals to secure a point at Loras late Saturday night.

“It was clear our guys had given so much to the comeback and result against Loras that they we were really fighting the fatigue factor,” Laidlaw said. “It was clearly difficult for them to find the same levels of energy today.”

The Dutch will go back to Loras College Saturday for its quarterfinal match.