Cruz Herr Oct. 22, 2008

Dutch score men's soccer upset over No. 11 Loras

PELLA—Forced to the sidelines much of the season by injury, Central College defender Dan Hurd (sophomore, West Des Moines, Valley HS) was in the right spot Wednesday, punching in a rebound in double overtime to deliver a men’s soccer upset of No. 11-ranked Loras College 3-2. That snapped an 18-game Loras win streak in Iowa Conference games. It was Central’s first victory over the defending Iowa Conference champion Duhawks (12-3-1 overall) since 2002 and creates a wide-open race for the league crown. Central, 11-5 overall, is 6-1 in the league while Loras (12-3-1 overall) fell to 5-1 and Wartburg College took a 4-1 mark into Wednesday evening’s game with the Univ. of Dubuque. Central is at Wartburg Saturday.

“We’re not a team that’s getting mentioned but I think we’re certainly a team of that caliber,” coach Garry Laidlaw said.

Hurd’s third goal of the season ended a lengthy battle in the 107th minute. Forward Brett McKenzie (sophomore, Lindenhurst, Ill., Antioch HS) headed a cross in a crowd in front of the goal. It was blocked by a Loras defender but in the ensuing scramble Hurd booted it home with 3:37 left in the second overtime.

Dan Hurd“I’m very happy for Dan Hurd,” Laidlaw said. “He played a very good game for us in the back and I know that it was big for him to pop up and get the game winner.”

It’s Central’s second victory of the year over a ranked opponent, and the highest-rated foe the Dutch have ever defeated. Central was a 1-0 winner at No. 14 Wis.-Oshkosh Sept. 20.

A fierce and chilling wind was a big factor in the contest, but three of the first four goals were scored against the wind. Forward Eric Shelton (freshman, Appleton, Wis., Kimberly HS) put Central on top with his seventh goal in the 11th minute, but Loras tied it just over a minute later with a goal by Justin McCord, his sixth.

Nick DeLucia (sophomore, Urbana, Ill.) matched Shelton for the Central team lead with his seventh goal with 11:22 left in the first half as Shelton and midfielder Cruz Herr (senior, Cedar Rapids, Kennedy HS) assisted.

A Sean Crosby goal just 4 minutes into the second half let Loras tie the game 2-2 and that’s the way it remained throughout the rest of regulation. But Central had several promising looks. The Dutch, after holding a 7-6 shot advantage at halftime, used the wind for a 10-3 edge in the second half and outshot Loras 4-2 in the two overtimes for a 21-11 overall advantage. Loras goalkeeper Nate DeBois had 10 saves while Central’s Greg Foote (senior, Maple Grove, Minn.) was called on for just three.

Loras, which reached the NCAA Division III final four last season, is ranked second in the West Region. Wartburg, 11-3-1 overall, is rated fifth in the region. Central and Wartburg tied 1-1 in the Iowa Conference tournament semifinals last season at Dubuque, but the Knights advanced through a shootout. Wartburg defeated the Dutch 3-1 at Pella during the regular season. Central holds a 10-9-1 advantage in the teams’ all-time series.

Saturday’s contest is part of a women’s-men’s doubleheader, with the men’s game kicking off at 3 p.m. in Waverly.

“We still have a lot of work to do and this league is still up for grabs,” Laidlaw said. “Wartburg is a very good team and we’re going to need another really solid game against them.”