INDIANOLA — Breaking a 1-1 tie eight minutes into the first overtime period, Central College men's soccer senior Miguel Pina (forward, Chicago, Ill., Taft HS) sent the Dutch to the American Rivers Conference tournament semifinals by downing Simpson College 2-1 Saturday afternoon.

The No. 5 seed, Central (9-8-0, 5-3, conference) will now go to No. 1 seed Loras College (12-5-0, 7-1-0 conference) for a semifinal match. They will face the Duhawks on Tuesday at a time TBD.

"It was a very tough game," coach Garry Laidlaw said. "I couldn't be more proud of our guys. They showed a lot of heart and resiliency."
Pina took the pass from midfielder Daniel Alanis (senior, Phoenix, Ariz., Apollo HS) and tallied his seventh goal of the season to secure the win.

"Daniel played a great ball over the top and Miguel timed his run well," Laidlaw said. "Big players step up in important games and Miguel did that today."

Getting his first career start in goal in lieu of the injured Salvador Salado-Herrera (sophomore, Brooklyn Park, Minn., Park Center HS), Andrew Mathys (junior, Elburn, Ill., Kaneland HS) got the win and six saves.

"What a way to get his first win," Laidlaw said. "He did what he needed to do. He looked strong and confident. For him to come into a game like this and perform the way he did says a lot about him."

Kiel Pederson (defender, Arlington Heights, Ill., John Hersey HS) got the scoring started with his first goal of the season in the 51st minute. Nathan Casas (freshman, Cottage Grove, Minn., East Ridge HS) notched an assist on the play.

"The ball hasn't quite bounced his way at times this year," Laidlaw said. "He put himself in the right spot and finished it well."

Laidlaw also mentioned Ben Turnley's (junior, Manhattan, Kan.) play in the midfield.

"Ben was tremendous off the bench," he said. "He really gave us a lift."

The coach was also appreciative of the fan contingent that boisterously supported his side.

"We had a traveling group of fans that I thought made a big difference in the game," he said. "Their vocal support helped bolster us."

In their first meeting on October 23, Loras defeated Central 3-0.

"We're obviously going to have to be a lot better," Laidlaw said. "We didn't start very well the other day. The guys are happy to be in this game and we'll be ready to give it their best shot."