PELLA — The Central College men's soccer team was not able to win for the sixth consecutive time, falling to Luther College 2-0 on Saturday afternoon.
           
Entering the contest riding a five-game winning streak in American Rivers Conference play, the Dutch (8-7, 5-2 conference) met their match against the Norse (13-3-1, 5-1-1 conference).
           
"We played a very good team," coach Garry Laidlaw said. "We played a team that's used to playing at a high level. In the first half, they showed their experience."
           
Central was outshot 19-9 on the game and 12-3 in the first half.
           
"With a pretty strong wind at our back, I don't we think took advantage," Laidlaw said. "We didn't get enough serves into the box and we didn't test the goalie enough.
           
"In the second half, I thought we battled better. We really had a go at them in the last 15-20 minutes. We just didn't generate enough from the midfielders and forwards until the last push."
           
Only five of the 19 shot attempts by Luther were on goal, for which Laidlaw credited his starting defensive line of Taylor Petkovich (junior, Littleton, Colo., Heritage HS), Kiel Pederson (senior, Arlington Heights, Ill., John Hersey HS), Landon Daniels (junior, Webster City) and Logan Serbousek (sophomore, Cedar Rapids, Prairie HS).
           
"I thought those four did well against a really strong team," he said. "We limited their really good chances."
           
Midfielder Zach Worster (freshman, Saint Peters, Mo., Saint Dominic HS) paced Central with four shots, including two on frame.
           
Central has already clinched a spot in the postseason tournament and is guaranteed a top-five seed. The top-four teams get at least one home game.
           
"We're not going to dwell on this one," Laidlaw said. "We've still got a chance to host a home game. We want to be able to start the new season fresh."
           
The final match of the regular season is Tuesday night at Loras College in Dubuque at 7:30 p.m.