GAMBIER, Ohio – Despite a wild finish that saw four goals in the final three minutes, the Centre men's soccer squad continued its historic campaign with a 4-2 victory over Claremont-Mudd-Scripps in the NCAA Sectionals at Mavec Field.
 
Already in uncharted territory, the No. 21 Colonels (19-3-1) advance to the program's first ever "Elite Eight" after fending off the No. 13/20 Stags (16-4-2), who put together a frenzied late sequence.
  
HIGHLIGHTS
- Alexander Garuba wasted no time putting Centre on the board, scoring in the second minute from the left side of the box off an assist by Will Newton. It marked just the second first-half goal surrendered by CMS all season.
- The Stags nearly equalized in the ninth minute, as Ethan Tyng's shot hit the crossbar.
- In the 21st minute, the Stags needed a diving save from Eduardo De Anda on a shot from distance by Nafiz Budeiri, who almost doubled Centre's advantage.
- Likewise in the 35th minute, Michael Vogt had a shot turned away by De Anda following a corner kick.
- But just seconds later, on a ball sent back into the danger zone by Carson Hart, Newton found the back of the net off a header for his ninth goal of the season and third in the past two matches.
- Before the halftime whistle, De Anda would be called to action for three more saves as Centre continued to pepper shots on goal.
- Haydon Korfhage made a save in the final 10 seconds to help the Colonels take a 2-0 lead into the break.
- Korfhage denied a scoring opportunity again in the 62nd minute, and came up with another timely stop in the 76th to preserve the two-goal margin.
- A relatively quiet second half turned into a flurry of goals in the final minutes, beginning with Adam Singer's score in the 88th minute to make it 2-1.
- With the Stags pressing, Centre's Nathan Wilcox was able to quickly get behind the defense and create a one-on-one with De Anda, which favored the Colonel forward. He scored just nine seconds after Singer to promptly make it 3-1.
- The Stags wouldn't go quietly, as Singer again found himself in the right place and converted with just 90 seconds to play.
- CMS nearly had the match-tying goal not long after, as Justin Blachman's shot was tipped by Korfhage and rolled inches wide to set up a corner.
- The Colonels cleared the danger, and with De Anda forward for the corner, Wilcox was able to dribble down the field and slot home the insurance score on an open net.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Shots finished at an even 18 apiece. De Anda finished with nine saves for the Stags, while Korfhage turned aside eight – none bigger than the one that prevented Blachman's potential score in the final minute.
- Centre had a 5-1 advantage in corner opportunities in the opening half, while CMS flipped that for a 6-1 edge in the second.
 
UP NEXT
Centre faces Montclair State Sunday at 1 p.m. The Red Hawks defeated host Kenyon, 2-1, in double overtime of Saturday's sectional matchup