Decatur, Ala. - The Central Methodist men's soccer program faced off against a familiar foe in the NAIA National Quarterfinals Thursday afternoon, defeating fellow Heart school MidAmerica Nazarene University 2-0 in Decatur, Ala. 

With the victory, Central advances to the national semifinals for the fourth-straight season, while the Pioneers end their season with a 14-7-1 overall mark. CMU keeps their perfect record intact at 22-0. 

Both sides remained deadlocked through the first half, reaching halftime at a scoreless tie. The deadlock was broken in the 62nd minute of play, as junior forward Alessandro Salvadego was fouled inside the box and awarded a penalty kick. The Belluno, Italy native converted the PK to give Central a 1-0 lead. 

Less than 15 minutes later, Central padded its lead as Theo Klein found the back of the net off the assist from Jayton Johnson. Leading 2-0 with 14 minutes remaining, the CMU defense held off the Pioneers in the closing minutes to come away with a 2-0 shut out victory. 

Central's offense overpowered MNU, finishing the afternoon with 23 shots and 11 on goal compared to just seven shots and two on goal for the Pioneers. 

The duo of Salvadego and Marcos German led Central's attack with four shots apiece. Basil Erne, Jayton Johnson, Christian Sanchez, Victor Luengo, and Klein all tallied two shots each. 

Aaron Hoffman made his first career appearance in postseason play for the Eagles, recording two saves in a full 90 minutes of action for CMU. 

Central will next face No. 5 Keiser (Fla.) in the semifinals Saturday, Dec. 4 at 1:00 p.m. The Eagles are looking to make their third national championship appearance in the last four years with a victory. 

#TakeFlight