PELLA — Breaking a 1-1 draw in the 88th minute, forward Erin Manion (freshman, Delafield, Wis., Kettle Moraine HS) scored her seventh goal of the Iowa Conference season to give the Central College women's soccer team a 2-1 victory over Wartburg College Tuesday.
In the process, the Dutch secured the No. 3 seed in the conference tournament with a 6-2 conference mark. They are 14-3-1 overall on the year.
Knotted at 1-1, Central went on the attack looking for the game winner. Midfielder Kayla Sunvold (senior, Runnells, Southeast Polk HS) took her defender on, before giving it up to Manion on the right side of the box who fired it home to light up the scoreboard.
"Whatever Erin is eating for breakfast, she needs to keep eating that," coach Mike Kobylinski said. "It was exciting to see her tuck it away for the game winner."
Manion leads the league in goals during conference play with seven. Sunvold tied the school record with her ninth assist this season.
Battling injuries during the middle part of the season, forward Kallie Holte (junior, Kirksville, Mo.) contributed a goal of her own in the early part of the second half.
"Kallie has ice in her veins," Kobylinski said. "When you get her in front the net and give her time to shoot, she can bury it."
Holte, Sunvold and Manion were a three-headed monster on the attack for Central, registering 12 of the team's 13 shots and all five of its shots on goal.
"When those three are on, good things happen," Kobylinski said. "That's the first time we've had all three of them on the field and healthy at the same time."
Picking up her 10th win of the season, senior goalkeeper Sydney Lunardi (Bettendorf, Davenport Assumption HS) recorded seven saves.
"Because of our defense, she hasn't been tested a ton, but she came up big today," Kobylinski said. "She made some saves today that most keepers can't get to."
The opponent is yet to be determined, but the Dutch will play host to an Iowa Conference tournament quarterfinal match on Saturday afternoon
"It's massive for our program," Kobylinski said. "It's the third time in six years we've hosted an Iowa Conference tournament game. I'm happy to be able to play home in front of our fans one more time."
Rankings watch – After a loss to Luther College over the weekend, the Dutch are just barely on the outside looking in of two different rankings. In the D3soccer.com national poll, they received 13 votes. In the National Soccer Coaches Association North Region poll, Central is the first team outside of the top-10 with four votes.
