Central avenges two losses with defeat of Carbondale

Revenge -- how sweet it is.

After suffering a pair of one goal losses to Carbondale earlier in the season, Central (10-5-1) got two second-half goals to rout the Terriers (14-2-1) 2-0 at home on Tuesday.

"This is a big win for us," Central coach Tom Doyle said. "We really needed this game to build on."

Although the first half ended with no score, the Tigers won the small battles. The Tigers generated more scoring chances than Carbondale and controlled the tempo of the game.

"It's simple -- if we control the ball then they don't score," Doyle said of his team's dominating ball possession.

Just minutes into the half ,Grant Hengst led Heath Orr up the field to give Orr a one-on-one opportunity. Orr took a series of shots that were blocked, but his breakaway got the Tigers and their faithful buzzing.

Hengst gave the Tigers another scoring opportunity and this time they didn't disappoint. Trey Willis put Hengst's cross in the back of the net for what would be the only goal the Tigers would need.

"Overall this was a super game for everybody," Doyle said.

After the goal, the Tigers allowed a series of near-scores by the Terriers but Central goalkeeper Aaron Meystedt made sure they were just that --near-scores -- and kept them out of the net.

"They didn't want to give up a goal, and they just panicked a little bit," Doyle said. "We need to learn how to pass the ball out of the zone and use our good speed."

It didn't take long for the Tigers to get their second wind and put the game out of reach. Jordan Duncan scored the game-clinching goal late in the second half.

"The team as a whole showed a lot of heart this time," Duncan said as he pointed to his ticker. "But we should have beat them the first time."

Carbondale defeated Central twice earlier in the season, 3-2 in double overtime in the Notre Dame Soccerfest and 2-1 in Carbondale last week.

Duncan said the team's manager, junior Jake Knepp, is the x-factor. Each loss Central has suffered this season, Knepp has not been there, including the two Carbondale defeats. Knepp was there for the third game of the series, which Central won.

Central's junior varsity (4-3-1) was also victorious as they defeated Carbondale 3-1. Ryan Ponder, Lee Hodges and Aaron Schupert each scored for Central.