Central Soccer Teams Battle Loras to a Pair of Draws

Competing in their regular season finales Tuesday night, the Central men’s and women’s soccer teams both battled Loras in a pair of 0-0 draws in rain-soaked games.

The Dutch men (8-3-5, 4-1-3 American Rivers Conference) outshot the Duhawks by a slim 11-10 margin, and put four shots on frame to Loras’ two. Nate Lampe, Spencer Taylor, Ian Gredell, and Isaiah Guyton were all responsible for one shot on goal. Goalkeeper Morgan Finkenbinder made both his saves in the second half. It’s the first Dutch shutout against Loras since 2000. The Central men finish the conference slate of games with 15 points to share third place, and will get a first-round home playoff game Saturday against Nebraska Wesleyan.

For the first time since 2017, the Dutch women’s soccer team earned a point against Loras with their tie. It was also the first time in 32 all-time matches that Central (9-4-3, 3-3-2 American Rivers Conference) held the Duhawks scoreless. The tie marked just the second time in the last five years that Loras hasn’t won in a conference match. The Duhawks outshot Central by a 13-4 margin, but goalkeeper Zoey Sizemore made five saves to record her fourth shutout in the last five matches. The Dutch had chances of their own to score as all four shot attempts were on goal. The Central women finish the regular season in fifth place in the American Rivers Conference standings, and will travel to #4 Wartburg for a first round match in the league’s postseason tournament on Saturday.

Central Volleyball Wins Fourth Match in a Row

The Central volleyball team took advantage of its final non-conference game of the season, beating Illinois College 25-12, 20-25, 25-19, 25-13 on Tuesday.

Setters Makayla Ribble and Landry Pacha controlled the Dutch offensive attack with 21 and 15 set assists, respectively. Right-side hitters Sophia Folkerts and Rachel Bowers led the team in kills with nine and eight a piece, while middle hitter Maelyn Wainwright added seven. Wainwright also led the team with four service aces while Alayna Wentz was in on four blocks. Libero Colleen Kenney had 17 digs.

The Dutch are back to American Rivers Conference play on Friday, hosting Loras at 6 pm.