Men finish 22-1 on season

Going into the semi final game of the NAIA tournament, the CMU men’s soccer team had won 22 games this season against no losses but the team saw its season come to a close, falling to No. 5 seeded Keiser (Fla.), 4-1 Saturday afternoon in Decatur, Alabama.

Central concludes its 2021 season with a 22-1 overall record. The Seahawks improve to 15-3-1 and advance to Monday’s national championship match.

Keiser struck first in the 15th minute to take a 1-0 lead. Central evened the score less than eight minutes later, as junior forward Alessandro Salvadego scored his 23rd goal of the year.

The Seahawks regained the lead just before halftime, and took a 2-1 lead into the locker room over Central.

Keiser tallied two more goals, one in the 61st minute and one in the 87th minute, going on to earn the 4-1 victory. CMU finished the game firing off 20 shots and five on goal, while the Seahawks ended the afternoon with 12 shots and nine on goal.

Salvadego led the offense with six shots taken, while Christian Sanchez added four and Marcos German tallied three.

In the near-perfect season Central finished with only one blemish on it’s record and averaged 3.74 goals per game while only giving up an average of only 0.60 goals per game.

To reach the semifinal, CMU faced off against a familiar foe Thursday afternoon, defeating fellow Heart school MidAmerica Nazarene University 2-0 in at the finals site.

With the victory, Central advanced to the national semifinals for the fourth-straight season, while the Pioneers ended their season with a 14-7-1 overall mark. CMU kept it’s record intact at 22-0. 

Both sides remained deadlocked through the first half, reaching halftime at a scoreless tie. The deadlock was broken in the 62nd minute of play, as Salvadego was fouled inside the box and awarded a penalty kick. The Belluno, Italy native converted the PK to give Central a 1-0 lead. 

Less than 15 minutes later, Central padded its lead as sophomore Theo Klein found the back of the net off the assist from junior Jayton Johnson. Leading 2-0 with 14 minutes remaining, the CMU defense held off the Pioneers in the closing minutes to come away with a 2-0 shut out victory.

Central’s offense overpowered MNU, finishing the afternoon with 23 shots and 11 on goal compared to just seven shots and two on goal for the Pioneers.

The duo of Salvadego and senior  Marcos German led Central's attack with four shots apiece. Freshman Basil Erne, Jayton Johnson, junior Christian Sanchez, senior Victor Luengo, and Klein all tallied two shots each.

Freshman goal keeper Aaron Hoffman made his first career appearance in postseason play for the Eagles, recording two saves in a full 90 minutes of action for CMU. Hoffman got the starting call after starter Stefano Camerlengo, a sophomore from Pescara Italy, suffered a dislocated shoulder during a shooting drill the day prior to the game. Camerlengo had started 19 of Central’s 23 games giving up a total of six goals all year with a perfect 19-0 record.

Women wrap up at 22-2

Squaring off against No. 1 overall seed William Carey Saturday, the CMU women’s soccer team needed a win to secure the Lady Eagles first ever NAIA National championship appearance in program history. Instead, they closed their historic 2021 campaign with a 3-0 loss.

The Eagles conclude the year with a 22-2 overall mark, while William Carey improves to 23-0 and advanced to Monday’s national championship match for the second-straight season.

Central and the Crusaders remained scoreless through the first 23 minutes of action before William Carey scored to take a 1-0 lead.

The Eagles kept William Carey off the scoreboard through the next 52 minutes of game action before the Crusaders scored back-to-back goals in a span of three minutes. CMU was unable to convert on any of its shots in the closing minutes, as William Carey went on to earn the 3-0 win.

Both sides were nearly identical in shots as Central tallied 11 and William Carey 12. The Crusaders, however, recorded seven shots on goal while the Eagles collected four.

Andrea Villar led the offense with three shots and two on goal, while sophomore  Alicia Zamora, freshman Marcella Helena,  senior Roneisha Frank, and sophomore Zoe Jessen each recorded two.

Freshman goalkeeper Max De Armas Colombo recorded four saves in a full 90 minutes of action between the posts for Central.

CMU finishes the year with its deepest postseason run in program history, reaching the national semifinals for the first time ever. In doing so, the Lady Eagles averaged 3.79 goals per game while giving up only 0.38 goals per game.

To reach the semifinal game, the Central Methodist women’s soccer team knocked off two-time defending NAIA National Champion Keiser University by a 2-0 score in the quarterfinals of the NAIA Women’s Soccer National Championship Thursday afternoon in Orange Beach, Alabama.

With the win, the Eagles secured their first-ever Fab Four appearance at the Final Site, and improved their overall record to 22-1. The Seahawks ended their season with a 16-3 mark.

Central’s offense came out with early pressure in the opening moments of the match. At the 1:08 mark of the first half, CMU had several shots on goal which were blocked before senior Roneisha Frank headed the ball past the keeper unassisted to give Central an early 1-0 lead.

Less than 19 minutes later the Eagles would score again, as Frank found fellow senior Andrea Villar just outside the box. Villar fired the ball into the top right corner of the net to give CMU a 2-0 advantage. CMU finished the first half with 10 total shots compared to just one for the Seahawks.

The second half was more evenly paced between the two sides, as Central tallied four shots while Keiser collected five. Central's defensive backline, however, continued its solid play, preserving the shut out victory.

The duo of Frank and Villar each tallied four shots including three on goal for Frank and one for Villar. Sophomore Sandra Jakobsen also record two shots. Overall the CMU offense outshot Keiser 14-6.

Colombo, CMU’s freshman goalkeeper, played all 90 minutes between the posts for Central, finishing the match with three saves in the shutout win.