Men's soccer is successful over Hiram in Bob Allen Classic

In the championship game of the 21st Annual Bob Allen Nissan Classic the Colonels came away with a thrilling 6-4 victory over Hiram College on Saturday, September 11 in Danville, Ky.

The Colonels gained the momentum in the first half after sophomore Ryan Garvey (Louisville, Ky.) headed the ball into the back of the net in the 10th minute on the assist from sophomore Will Frentz (Louisville, Ky.).

Five minutes later Centre would take the 2-0 lead as junior Austin Hall (Indianapolis, Ind.) capitalized on a cross from Garvey.

Although the Colonels were up 2-0 they continued to carry the offensive momentum. Hall scored his second goal of the game in the 22nd minute after dribbling the ball down the line before getting the ball past the keeper.

Hiram continued to play hard even though Centre had been dominating the first half. The Terriers picked up their first goal of the game in the 30th minute when Brian Todd was able to get the ball over junior goalkeeper Chris Jackson's (Oxford, Ohio) head and into the corner of the goal.

Both Centre and Hiram had 10 shots in the first half, while Jackson had five saves for the Colonels compared to the one save for Joe Tatum from Hiram. Centre had the advantage in corner kicks with four to Hiram's one.

Centre came out in the second half and was able to score first again as Garvey recorded his second goal of the match with another header. Hall picked up the assist as he crossed the ball to Garvey for the goal to make it a 4-1 game.

Hiram counter attacked and in the 62nd minute C.J. Spilker made it a 4-2 game as he found the back of the net on a cross from Petar Knezevic.

The game would continue to go back and for as Garvey recorded a hat trick in the 63 minute of the game on an assist from sophomore Josh Settle (Bowling Green, Ky.).

Centre scored their sixth and final goal of the match in the 75th minute when freshman Jack Goblirsch (Elizabethtown, Ky.) got the ball past the keeper on an assist from freshman Robbe Tarver (Houston, Tex.).

The Terriers would not back off although they were down 6-2 as they scored two goals in less than one minute with Knezevic scoring in the 88th minute and Kevin Haramis scoring in the 89th minute.

Hiram's run came a little too late in the second half and Centre pulled away with the 6-4 win. The Terriers had the advantage on shots in the game with 21 compared to the Colonels 20, but Centre had eight corner kicks versus Hiram's 2.

Jackson had 10 saves in the win, while Tatum had six for Hiram.

"Our ball movement again tonight was exceptional. Extremely well crafted goals and our group play in the final third was excellent. It is very positive to see Garvey break the bank and for him to go on and get a hat trick tonight is well earned. Austin, Josh, Van Nevel, and Ryan are so dynamic right now," said Centre head coach, Jeb Burch.

Burch went on to say, "I just wish our defensive blunders didn't overshadow what was a good Classic for us.  The way we ended tonight's game is not Centre Soccer.  We didn't finish defensively and that is very disappointing."

"Hopefully tonight is an example of us learning lessons while we win," finished Burch.

The Most Valuable Player award for the tournament went to Settle. Hall and Garvey were named Co-Most Valuable Forwards and junior Tony Distler (Louisville, Ky.) was named the Most Valuable Defender. Transylvania's Alex Smith was named the Most Valuable Goalkeeper.

Next for Centre is Mount St. Joseph on Friday, September 17 in Cincinnati, Ohio. The game will start at 7:30 p.m.