Centre Men's Soccer took on unbeaten Southwestern on Saturday at Amend Field, with the Colonels looking for their first SAA win of the season. Centre hung tough for the entire 90 minutes, at times controlling the ball and pace, but the offense could not quite connect the dots as the Pirates scored twice in the final 30 minutes for a 2-0 win.
Jacob Tyler gave Centre its first look on goal in the 4th minute but the shot sailed high and wide. The Colonels controlled the ball and field into the second quarter-hour. Centre earned 2 corner kicks, which set up 4 chances for a goal.
Finnegan Deem-Ranzetta had 3 tries in a span of 12 seconds but all were blocked by the Pirate defense.
Amit Shahar had the next chance off a corner kick but missed high. The teams traded possessions and fouls in an aggressive half.
Grayson Parish made 2 stops in the half as the Colonels and Pirates were scoreless at halftime.
Centre came out fast to start the 2nd half.
Ryan O'Hara let a shot rip just 48 seconds in that was blocked.
Jason Weisheit followed with a shot on target that was stopped by the Southwestern keeper.
Zeke Saviello had a ball sail just over the bar in the 51st minute as Centre continued to show strength and poise with the ball.
Southwestern's first consistent threats arrived nearing the 55th minute. Two shots were off target but it got the Pirates' offense going. A corner kick followed in the 58th minute. Centre cleared it away but the pressure stayed up and in the 61st minute, the Pirates were able to break through on Centre's tough defense to take a 1-0 lead. The goal also boosted the Pirates' confidence on defense as Centre's chances began to dry up.
Grayson Parish made 2 more saves in the 65th and 72nd minutes to keep the Colonels in the game.
The game flipped on its head in the 80th minute with
Finnegan Deem-Ranzetta was called for a foul inside the penalty box. Southwestern converted the PK to double its lead. Less than a minute later, the frustration boiled over as Deem-Ranzetta was given a straight red card for a confrontation with a Southwestern player after a foul. The Colonels dropped to 10 men and never threatened the goal again.
Grayson Parish made 4 saves in net but the offense mustered just a single shot on the Southwestern goal, despite the teams being level in overall shots at 10 apiece. Centre also finished with a 6-2 edge in corners.
Centre now turns its focus to the final home weekend of the season, starting with a Friday night matchup against Berry. Amend Field will be lit up for the game, scheduled for an 8:00pm start.
