SAINT PETER, MINN. — Gustavus Adolphus College (Minn.) poured in five first-half goals to down the Central College men's soccer team 5-0 Friday night.
           
The No. 19 Gusties (8-3-0) avenged a 4-3 loss against the Dutch (2-6-0) from the 2019 season. Central had won on its previous two trips to Saint Peter.
           
The Dutch have completed a daunting non-conference schedule that included four matches against teams from the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, a perennial power in NCAA Division III men's soccer, who were all top five in this week's regional poll.
           
"I think the intensity of our schedule caught up with us a little bit today," coach Garry Laidlaw said. "We've played the top five teams in the region, culminating with No. 1 today. We've competed so well against those teams. Tonight, we simply didn't raise our level to the standard needed.
           
The Dutch were outshot 15-4, including 12 shots going on frame for the Golden Gusties. Central did control possession for 57 percent of the match.
           
"We had a fair amount of possession," Laidlaw said. "The different was that they were far more clinical and dangerous with their possession. We were just unable to possess and penetrate.
           
Max Sisson (sophomore, midfielder, Rosemount, Minn.) and Lucas Bartachek (freshman, defender, Waukee) each had shots on goal for Central. Micah Poole (junior, Bettendorf) had six saves in goal.
           
Central heads to Simpson for a 7:30 p.m. match on Wednesday.
           
"It's going to be a highly competitive conference season," Laidlaw said. "We're going to have to play at a higher standard than we did today. We're hoping that the experience that our players have gained from games like today will come into play. We need to understand that as the conference winds down, the matches are going to continue to get tighter and more competitive."