PELLA — Two goals in the first five minutes was all the offense the Central College women's soccer team would need in a 2-0 triumph over Simpson College Wednesday.
The victory moved the school record winning streak to 10 games and the Dutch to 10-1-1 on the season and 2-0 in Iowa Conference play.
Erin Manion (freshman, Deerfield, Wis., Ketlle Moraine HS) and Olivia Denham (sophomore, Bondurant, Bondurant-Farrar HS) spearheaded the Central attack early in the match. Manion assisted on a Denham goal at the 2:32 mark before finding the back of the net on her own at 5:28.
"I was really happy with the effort by those two," Kobylinski said. "Erin's such a hard worker, it's been great having her in our program.
"This last week and a half we've been really talking to Olivia about accentuating her strengths: her speed and the ability to take defenders on. She rose to that challenge today."
The fast start was more than enough to secure the victory, but Kobylinski was hoping for more out of his team in the latter parts of the game.
"I think that was one of the best starts we've had since I've been here," he said. "I thought we played really well for the first 20 minutes. I think there are some things we can learn from the other 70 minutes."
Caitlyn Champ (sophomore, Kearney, Mo.), was a significant contributor to the backline in her freshman season, but has been out of commission for most of the non-conference season. She continues to work her way back into the lineup.
"She brings a little bit of grit and personality back there," Kobylinski said. "She gives us another option in the back that can step in and do good things for us."
Kobylinski also cited the performance of Kalee Findlay (junior, Dallas Center-Grimes HS) in the midfield.
"She's very valuable to us in the middle," he said. "Her work rate and ball-winning ability are critical to our team."
A big conference showdown awaits the Dutch Saturday night at Loras College (5-3, 1-0 IIAC). The two teams played to a 1-1 draw in Pella last October.
"First and foremost, we need to focus on ourselves and getting back to what we do well," Kobylinski said. "If we can do that, then we'll let the chips fall where they may. We're excited to go to Dubuque and hopefully get a good result."
