Wartburg beats Central men in defensive soccer match

PELLA — The Central College men’s soccer team was defeated 2-0 against Wartburg College Saturday afternoon despite a strong defensive effort by the Dutch.

Wartburg (7-4-1, 4-1-0 American Rivers Conference) had outscored their opponents 20-0 in their last four matches but were limited to just two by the Dutch (2-9-1, 0-4-1 conference). One of Wartburg’s goals was a penalty kick in the 56th minute.

“I thought the first half we were terrific,” coach Garry Laidlaw said. “We really limited their chances. We had a couple of counter attacks that I thought I had potential, we just lacked the final ball there.

“In the second half, Wartburg picked up their level and we got on our heels. After the penalty, that two-goal separation made it difficult day for us.”

Central has battled injuries and illness all season. Three of Central’s starters from Saturday have missed games from injuries this season and the team’s leading scorer in 2019, Matthew West (junior, forward, Pleasant Hill, Southeast Polk HS) has not played since September 6. Injuries have also depleted the reserves.

“We’re still trying to find the best version of ourselves,” Laidlaw said. “It’s hard to do that with so many injuries. We’ve got the bare bones right now with the squad and we keep trying to fill holes while trying to build the team and cohesion.

Goalkeeper John Foster (sophomore, Lee’s Summit, Mo., North HS) had six saves and Cole Manuel (freshman, midfielder, Erie, Colo.) fired off two of Central’s five shots.

Central travels to Coe College for a 7:30 p.m. match on Wednesday.

“In the last few games we have gotten closer to the best version of what we are,” Laidlaw said. “There’s three games to go and we still have a chance to get in the conference tournament. That’s where our focus will be.”