The Central men’s soccer team clinched its first ever conference championship with a 5-0 shutout of Buena Vista at home Tuesday afternoon. The Dutch didn’t need much time to set the tone, as Midfielder Nathan Casas scored his fourth goal of the season just 30 seconds into the match to give Central a 1-0 lead. The Dutch scored four more goals throughout the contest, to which the Beavers had no answers.
A total of 35 players saw playing time in the contest, which was the seventh shutout of the season for Central.
Since Gary Laidlaw took over as head coach in 1998, the program had twice finished atop the conference standings. But the Dutch were relegated down both times due to a point system that had been in place. With no such system in place and a 6-1-1 conference record, the league title belongs solely to Central for the first time.
The American Rivers Conference Tournament begins Saturday. As the top seed, Central has earned a bye to the semifinals, which will be next Wednesday at the A.N. Kuyper Athletics Complex.
The Central women’s soccer team also earned a shutout over Buena Vista Tuesday afternoon. Elise Askelsen and Bridget Lynch each scored their first goals of the season as the Dutch defeated the visiting Beavers 3-0. Erin Manion scored her 46th goal of her career, and finishes third on Central’s all-time leaderboard for career goals.
Central’s defense was sharp, holding Buena Vista without a shot attempt in the entire match.
With a conference record of 1-6-1, Central did not qualify for the American Rivers Conference Tournament. Their season ends with an overall record of 6-10-2.
The Central volleyball team celebrated Senior Night on Tuesday with a 3-1 win over Graceland University of Lamoni, an NAIA school. It was a close match throughout, but the Dutch were able to take control in the final two sets, winning 27-25, 22-25, 25-21, 25-20.
Krissa Larson led the way with 11 kills on the night, while Landry Luhring was the leading digger with 22.
Central moves their overall record to 16-11. Up next is a trip to Rock Island, Illinois on Friday for a neutral site match against Monmouth College.