Washington escapes Central men’s soccer team
Central College
ST. LOUIS, MO.—The Central College men’s soccer team scored early but couldn’t hold off the high-octane offense of No. 19 Washington-St. Louis (Mo.) as the Bears edged Central 2-1 in St. Louis Saturday night.
Senior midfielder Jonathan Schroeder (St. Charles, Ill., North HS) led the Dutch attack, notching his second goal of the season 12 minutes in off an assist from midfielder Brandon Bautista (junior, St. Charles, Ill., North HS).
“Jon’s off to a great start this season,” coach Garry Laidlaw said. “He had a good run into the box. He wasn’t tracked and he finished well.”
But the Bears responded with a tally in the 36th minute and scored the game-winning goal in the 72nd. Washington held a 21-10 shot advantage.
“They’re a quality ranked team for a reason,” Laidlaw said. “We had good spells of possession and they had their good spells but the difference was we didn’t have enough shots on frame and we weren’t accurate. We had quality chances to put the ball in the net but we just couldn’t convert. They were a little sharper in the final third of the field.”
Dutch goalkeeper Tim Maggard (sophomore, Torrance, Calif., South HS) had 11 saves, nine in the second half.
Seven freshmen entered the match in the red and white, gaining valuable experience.
“We have a lot of young players who had their first taste of high-level Division III soccer tonight,” Laidlaw said. “They’re only going to grow from this.”
Central continues non-conference play at home Wednesday, facing Nebraska Wesleyan at 5 p.m. in A.N. Kuyper Athletics Complex. Central recorded a 2-0 shutout last season but the Prairie Wolves (0-1) hold a 6-3 edge in the all-time series.
