Storm fall to Central in IIAC first round

INDIANOLA, Iowa - The upstart Simpson men's soccer team saw its season come to a close in the first round of the Iowa Conference Tournament on Saturday.

Jonathan Schroeder scored three goals - all in the first half - and sixth-seeded Central beat third-seeded Simpson 5-0 on Saturday at Buxton Stadium.

"I thought we were prepared for the match but we didn't manage our nerves and that became a factor early," first-year head coach Rick Isaacson said. "We conceeded two goals in the first 15 minutes and were never able to recover."

The Dutch (10-7-1) evened the ledger against Simpson, atoning for a 1-0 loss during the regular season. Central advances to the semifinals, where it will face second-seeded Loras on Wednesday, Nov. 2.

Schroeder single-handedly gave Central a 3-0 halftime lead, scoring in the 5th, 10th and 38th minute. Leland Schipper and Jordan Appenzeller added goals in the second half.

"Central is a good side and we knew we'd have to play flawlessly to beat them again," Isaacson said.

Simpson's best opportunity to get on the board came late in the first half. With Central leading 2-0, a foul called just outside the penalty box resulted in a free kick by Chris Allen. Allen scored the game-winner against the Central in the regular season in a similar situation, but the Dutch defended the kick this time around.

Closing the season with the most wins since 2006, the Storm (8-10-1) finish tied for third in the conference and qualified for the postseason after missing out for the first time in program history in 2010.

"While today's outcome is dissapointing, I am proud of the team and the growth this program has made over the past six months," Isaacson said. "Our players have nothing to hang their heads about. This season was undoubtedly a step in the right direction."

Simpson attempted 15 shots on the afternoon, putting six on goal. Of Central's 18 shots, 12 were on goal. Luke Aronow made seven saves for the Storm and his counterpart David Ziemann made six.

Notes: With the loss, Simpson fell to 12-13-3 all-time in the IIAC Tournament, losing to Central for the first time in four tries ... three seniors played their final games: Chris Allen, Bryan Michelsen and Nate Van Horn.