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No. 1 CMU men’s soccer advances to NAIA finals site

Posted 4/28/21

When you are the two-time defending NAIA men’s soccer champion, you tend to feel the pressure of having a target on your back. That is surely the feeling the No. 1 Central Methodist men’s …

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No. 1 CMU men’s soccer advances to NAIA finals site

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When you are the two-time defending NAIA men’s soccer champion, you tend to feel the pressure of having a target on your back. That is surely the feeling the No. 1 Central Methodist men’s soccer team felt as it began its second straight national title defense with a matchup against UC Merced in the opening round of the NAIA Men’s Soccer National Championship Thursday afternoon in Santa Barbara, California.

The Eagles drew the No. 1 seed in the Santa Barbara bracket while UC Merced entered the bracket as the No. 4 seed. They were joined in the bracket by No. 2 seed and host Westmont, and No. 3 Corban (Ore.). 

CMU entered the tournament with a 19-1 overall record and a perfect 12-0 mark in conference play. The Eagles clinched an automatic berth into this year’s field as the Heart Regular Season Conference and Tournament champion. Dating back to Sept. 2019, the Eagles have compiled a 32-game winning streak, the third-longest in NAIA history. CMU has also defeated three NCAA DI opponents this past spring and two NAIA Top 25 teams including No. 2 Oklahoma Wesleyan.

Central currently ranks No. 2 in NAIA in shutouts (10), No. 4 in the NAIA in assists (48), No. 5 in total goals (62), and No. 8 in shots on goal per game (19.200).

UC Merced made its fourth consecutive appearance in the NAIA opening round as the No. 30 overall seed, earning an automatic bid after winning the first California Pacific Conference Tournament Championship in program history. The Bobcats were 8-0 overall and were one of just two undefeated teams in the 40-team NAIA Opening Round Event.

CMU - 2

UC Merced - 0

The No. 1 Central Methodist soccer program began its title defense Thursday afternoon, defeating No. 4 seed UC-Merced 2-0 in the first game of the NAIA National Championship Opening Round in Santa Barbara, California.

With the win, the Eagles improve to 20-1 and advanced to Saturday’s Opening Round Championship. The Bobcats finish their season with an 8-1 mark.

Both teams were evenly paced in the first half, but neither side was able to score, as the match entered halftime all tied at 0-0.

Central increased the offensive pressure on UC-Merced in the second half. In the 60th minute of play, freshman midfielder Theo Klein dribbled down the left sideline, cut back into the box, and kicked a perfectly placed ball into the far post for a goal, giving CMU a 1-0 lead.

Less than two minutes later, a foul inside the box gave the Eagles a chance to add to their lead on a penalty kick. Reigning Heart Freshman and Defensive Player of the Year Tom Irion converted on the PK to push CMU’s lead to 2-0.

Central’s defense shut down the Bobcats for the remainder of the match, as the Eagles cruised to a 2-0 victory.

Sophomore Carlos Scheckermann and Klein led the offense with four shots and one shot on goal each. Both Irion and freshman Clayton Duarte each collected two shots. Overall the Central offense finished the match with 14 shots and five coming on goal, compared to eight for UC-Merced.

With the win the Eagles advanced to face No. 2 seed Corban (Ore.) in the opening round championship match Saturday.

Corban, made its eighth NAIA Championship appearance, earning an automatic berth into the NAIA National Championship as the winner of the Cascade Conference West Division. The Warriors from Oregon posted a 6-1-1 record in the conference, losing 5-1 to Warner Pacific (Ore.) on March 28 but then defeating the same team the next day 2-1. Corban entered the tournament as the 24th overall seed.

CMU - 3

Corban - 1

The No. 1 Central Methodist men’s soccer program earned the right to advance to the NAIA National Championship Final Site, defeating No. 2 seeded Corban (Ore.) 3-1 in the Opening Round Championship match of the Santa Barbara Bracket Saturday afternoon.

With the win, Central advances to the Final Site for the third straight season and improves their overall record to 21-1. The Warriors conclude their season with a 9-2-1 mark.

Central’s offense put early pressure on Corban’s backline and earned a foul inside the box for a penalty kick opportunity. Freshman midfielder Theo Klein converted on the PK, giving CMU a 1-0 lead just seven minutes into the match.

The Eagles would carry the 1-0 lead into the halftime break. Just 46 seconds into the second, junior Mark Csongradi fired a ball past the Warriors’ keeper for a goal, with the assist coming from freshman Alessandro Lacerti.

Central held a 2-0 advantage for the next 30 minutes before Corban answered the Eagles’ attack with a goal of their own in the 76th minute, trimming the lead to 2-1.

Freshman Markus Esko closed the door on any Corban comeback with Central’s third goal of the match in the 89th minute. CMU would go on to claim a 3-1 win to earn their third straight trip to the Final Site.

Klein and sophomore  Alessandro Salvadego led the Central attack with six shots each, while Klein collected his sixth goal of the spring season. Four of Klein’s shots were on goal. Sophomore Carlos Scheckermann, junior Victor Luengo, and freshman Clayton Duarte finished the match with two shots apiece.

Overall, CMU fired off 23 shots with 10 coming on frame compared to just three shots and two on goal for the Warriors.

As the No. 1 seed, Central has earned a first-round bye at the Final Site and will face the winner of No. 8 Cumberlands (Ky.) and No. 9 Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) Thursday, May 6 at 1 p.m. (CST) in the quarterfinals in Columbia County, Georgia.

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