Santa Barbara, Calif. - The No. 1 Central Methodist soccer program began its title defense Thursday afternoon, defeating No. 4 seed UC-Merced 2-0 in the first game of the NAIA National Championship Opening Round in Santa Barbara, Calif.
With the win, the Eagles improve to 20-1 and advance to Saturday's Opening Round Championship. The Bobcats finish their season with an 8-1 mark.
Both teams were evenly paced in the first half, but neither side was able to score, as the match entered halftime all tied at 0-0.
Central increased the offensive pressure on UC-Merced in the second half. In the 60th minute of play, freshman midfielder Theo Klein dribbled down the left sideline, cut back into the box, and flicked a perfectly placed ball into the far post for a goal, giving CMU a 1-0 lead.
Less than two minutes later, a foul inside the box gave the Eagles a chance to add to their lead on a penalty kick. Reigning Heart Freshman and Defensive Player of the Year Tom Irion converted on the PK to push CMU's lead to 2-0.
Central's defense shutdown the Bobcats for the remainder of the match, as the Eagles cruised to a 2-0 victory.
Carlos Scheckermann and Klein led the offense with four shots and one shot on goal each. Both Irion and Clayton Duarte each collected two shots. Overall the Central offense finished the match with 14 shots and five coming on frame, compared to eight for UC-Merced.
The Eagles will next face No. 2 seed Corban (Ore.) in the Opening Round Championship match Saturday, April 24 at 3:00 p.m. (CST.
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