McPherson, Kan. – The Central Christian College men's soccer team opened Sooner Athletic Conference play on Wednesday evening, hosting the Southwestern Christian University Eagles.
Having started the year 5-1-2 in the non-conference portion of their 2022 campaign, the Tiger men were eager to test their mettle against a conference opponent. The Eagles were coming off a 7-1 drubbing over Sterling College, a team the Tigers played to a 1-1 draw a few weeks ago. The Tigers and Eagles have had some memorable battles over the years, and Wednesday's match was certainly on par with previous meetings.
The two teams seemed to be equally matched with neither team having a decided advantage in time of possession. Statistically, the Tigers were a little better in terms of total shots, 13 to 9, but the Eagles put three shots on frame, while the Tigers on put two on goal. The stat line on corner kicks was dead even at five apiece. The Tigers tend to play a more aggressive style, and that showed up in the stats on Wednesday in terms of foul count. The Tigers were credited with 13 fouls to nine for the Eagles.
All those stats translated into a physical, yet highly competitive contest that ultimately resulted in a 0-0 draw. The Tigers had two real scary looks at goal in the second half. Drew Schrader wreaked havoc on the Eagles' defensive line all night with his speed, and early in the second, he got behind the defense and fired a shot from around the penalty spot. He was off target by mere inches and the ball went wide left. Later in the half, off of a set piece from just outside the 18 yard box, Ricardo Di Vincenzo dove to head the ball off of the service. He placed a brilliant ball on goal that forced the SCU goalkeeper to make a beautiful save.
The Eagles had a couple of quality looks in the second half as well, but Sebastian Herrera was up to the task, stopping all three shots that he faced from the SCU attackers.
Coach Hoxie summed up the contest saying, ""Real proud of the guys effort tonight. We had wonderful participation from everyone, and it showed. The commitment to uphold our standard and represent God, our families, our institution, and each other was evident in the game. Of course, on the field you need your big players to step up in moments, and our players did just that."
"It's always nice when a tactical plan is executed by your team. We wanted to eliminate their ability to counter and play 1v1 with us, forcing them into crosses and making them generally uncomfortable. Outside of two clear chances in the first half, we were highly successful. We let the guys who didn't want it, have it, and it worked to our advantage. I thought we were unlucky to not score through Drew and Marco in the second half. Still, we out shot them, and showed our desire to go in the right moments. It was a good point today, but not unexpected from our perspective. We know who we are, and we are trying to change the historical narrative in the conference. Got to rest up, recover, because we've got the giants on the weekend, and I'm excited for it."
The draw puts the Tigers at 5-1-3 on the season and 0-0-1 in the SAC. They will be heading out on the road on Saturday for a matchup with Mid-America Christian, who is currently ranked in the top 5 in the latest NAIA top 25 coaches poll. Kickoff is slated for 7:00 pm in Oklahoma City.
