Storm shutout Central to earn record-breaking win

PELLA, Iowa - Ronaldo Ordaz scored the only goal of the game and head coach Rick Isaacson became the all-time coaching wins leader as Simpson men's soccer team blanked Central, 1-0, at Central Soccer Field, Tuesday.

With the victory, Isaacson collected his 128th career win, passing former coach Aziz Haffar, who led the program from 1995-2004. "Any coach that is worth his weight will tell you that a coach is only as good as his players, and we've had a lot of good players come through this program over the last decade," said Isaacson.

The Storm (10-3-1, 3-1-1 A-R-C) had the first chance of the game. Baraka Ellie's pass was deflected into the path of Mateaus Lewis, who found himself through on goal, but was denied by a brilliant save from the Dutch (2-8-2, 1-2-1 A-R-C) goalkeeper.

Storm goalkeeper William Kopp had to be alert a couple minutes later, as a bouncing ball not dealt with by the Storm defense forced a clearance with his legs. Despite the Dutch's record, they had played close matches with nearly all opponents, using a more defensive style combined with a long ball approach. This allowed the Storm to control the majority of the ball and create more chances.

Ordaz had his shot saved in the 17th minute, but the Storm found the breakthrough on the ensuing corner. Andrew Russell ran to receive a short corner, with no Dutch defender coming out to defend him. Russell's ball across the box found the head of Ordaz, whose header was deflected onto the crossbar via the fingertips of the Dutch keeper. However, Lewis was right on hand to head the ball in. Despite Lewis making no doubt that the ball went in, the referees ruled that the initial header from Ordaz fully crossed the line, with Ordaz claiming the goal off an assist from Russell. 

The game slowed down a bit, but Peter Gaspari's ferocious shot was well-saved in the 44th minute, giving the Storm a deserved 1-0 lead at the halftime interval.

The second half forced Central to come out of its defensive shape slowly and gradually, needing to equalize. The Dutch got into better attacking situations to start, but were thwarted by the Storm defense. Ordaz nearly got on the end of an Ellie free kick that would have doubled the Storm's lead, but his lunging attempt could not generate enough power.

Around midway through the second half, a Central free kick was nearly converted, but Kopp was well-positioned to keep the header out. Spencer Young almost sealed the game with 10 minutes to go, even putting the ball in the net, but was adjudged to be offside. However, the Storm defense held on tightly to secure an important 1-0 win. Kopp routinely dealt with long throws and free kicks into the box, taking command of the ball among crowds of players. It was a commanding defensive performance from the Storm combined with opportunistic attack to claim three important points and officially etch Isaacson's name in program history.

"Simpson is a great place to coach," said Isaacson. "These types of milestones occur when you stay somewhere long enough and surround yourself with good people."

With the win, the Storm assure themselves that they remain in the upper half of the conference standings heading into the latter stages of the regular season. "We coach to win. We play to win," said Isaacson. "But it's also always been about more than just that. Really happy to get out of here with three points today and that should be the focus."

Up Next
The Storm remain on the road and travel to Luther, who is receiving votes in national polls and sits atop the conference coming into today. The game is slated for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff on Saturday.