PELLA— The dream season will continue for the Central College men's soccer team as it officially can prepare for its first appearance in the NCAA Division III Championships after being announced as a participant in the 64-team field Monday afternoon.
The Dutch (14-3-2) will open against the University of Wisconsin-Superior Yellow Jackets (16-3-2) on Saturday in Decorah at 3:30 p.m.
"We've been doing this for a few years now," long-time coach
Garry Laidlaw said. "To finally get in, there's obviously a sense of relief and euphoria. The team is delighted."
In the other half of Central's four-team pod, Luther College (16-4-1) plays Principia College (Ill.) (12-6-0). Saturday's winners meet Sunday at 3 p.m. for the right to advance to the Round of 16 set for November 23.
The Dutch—In the most successful season in program history, Central has had several notable accomplishments. A 6-1-1 run through the American Rivers Conference yielded the program's first regular-season conference title.
"We're certainly battle-tested after playing in the A-R-C," Laidlaw said.
For the fourth time in his 22 years at the helm of the program, Laidlaw was the league's coach of the year.
Senior defender
Taylor Petkovich (Littleton, Colo., Heritage HS) was named the conference defensive Most Valuable Performer. He's the second player in program history to earn MVP honors, joining Brett McKenzie in 2010.
Forward
Charlie Pritchard (freshman, Ankeny), midfielder
Nick Ashton (freshman, Ankeny, Centennial HS) and goalkeeper
Andrew Mathys (senior, Elburn, Ill., Kaneland HS) were also all-conference honorees. The four selections are the most since five were recognized in 2010.
Additionally, five other Dutch players received all-conference honorable mention: Defender
Landon Daniels (senior, Webster City), midfielder
Nathan Casas (sophomore, Cottage Grove, Minn., East Ridge HS), midfielder
Jake Dzarnowski (sophomore, Wheaton, Ill., North HS), defender
Brant Mueller (sophomore, Bettendorf) and midfielder
Matthew West (freshman, Pleasant Hill, Southeast Polk HS).
Providing nearly one-fourth of the team's scoring, West leads the team with nine goals. Pritchard added eight more, four of which were game-winning tallies. Pritchard also leads the team with six assists. Petkovich and Ashton had five assists apiece. In total, 15 central players either scored a goal or were credited with an assist.
"We're far from a one man scoring team," Laidlaw said. "We think we can pose a threat with a lot of different players."
Mathys has started all 19 matches in goal, achieving a 14-3-2 record. He's made 63 saves and had six complete game shutouts.
Central is one of four teams nationwide making its debut in the NCAA tournament and the only one to earn its spot with an at-large selection.
"We were looking at the numbers and ours looked pretty good in terms of things that matter to the committee," Laidlaw said. "We felt good, but until you see your name up there, there is always a little bit of doubt."
The Yellow Jackets—Wis.-Superior won the regular-season and tournament championships in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference. Two of its losses and one of its ties came against programs that also qualified for the national tournament.
"They've had a couple of really good years," Laidlaw said. "They've cleaned up in their league. We don't know a whole lot about them right now but that's what the next few days are for."
The highest-scoring team in Division III, the Yellow Jackets are outscoring their opponents 75-21 on the season while attempting 432 shots and allowing 198 attempts. Senior forward Eric Watson leads the team with 15 goals while sophomore forward Blake Perry also has 14 goals. Junior midfielder Miguel Ocampo leads the team with 10 assists. At goalkeeper, senior Dalton VanKaenel is the primary starter with a 10-2-1 record and 32 saves.
"It's clear they have some firepower and that's something we're going to have to address," Laidlaw said. "At the same time, we've got confidence in our own attacking players."
Head coach Joe Mooney is in his 12
th year piloting the program and is the all-time wins leader at 150-79-20 (.642). He's guided them to three straight NCAA appearances, winning 2-1 in the first round last year against Augsburg University (Minn.). The program is 1-2 all-time in NCAA matches, being eliminated by the University of St. Thomas (Minn.) in 2017 and 2018.
Common opponents— The Dutch and the Yellow Jackets have three common opponents from this season: Gustavus Adolphus College (Minn.), University of Northwestern – St. Paul (Minn.) and Luther College.
Central defeated the Gusties 4-3 in St. Peter, Minnesota on September 15. Ten days later, the Gusties dumped Wis.-Superior 5-1 on the same field.
In its third game of the season on September 4, Central nipped Northwestern 2-1. The Yellow Jackets crushed Northwestern 6-1 on October 22.
Wis.-Superior previously played in Decorah on October 6 against Luther, falling 4-0. Central split with the Norse, winning 2-1 in Decorah on September 28 but falling 3-0 on November 6.
Second round—If both teams win in the first round, Central and Luther would meet for the third time this season. The road teams are 2-0 in those contests.
In nine previous NCAA appearances, Luther is 12-7-2 (.619). In 2018, it won its first three matches before losing in the national quarterfinals.
If Principia would upset Luther, Central is 2-0 against the Panthers all-time, having a swept a home-and-home series in 2016 and 2017. Principia is 0-2 in NCAA contests, having most recently appeared in 2007.
NCAA Division III Decorah, Iowa Regional
Saturday, November 16
Game 1 1 p.m. Luther (16-4-1) vs. Principia (Ill.) (12-6-0)
Game 2 3:30 p.m. Central (14-3-2) vs. Wis.-Superior (16-3-2)
Sunday, November 17
Game 3 3 p.m. Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2
