Shreveport- The Centenary men's soccer team fell, 2-0, to the LeTourneau YellowJackets in a non-conference match on Saturday night in its season opener at Mayo Field.
The Gents (0-1) return to action next Friday, Feb. 5 as they face the ETBU Tigers in a non-conference match set for 5 p.m. in Marshall, Texas.
LeTourneau (1-0) scored in the eighth minute on a goal by midfielder Santi De La Torre, assisted by teammate Oscar Vargas. The YellowJackets held that 1-0 advantage at the half but the score could have been much different. Each team had goals taken off the board in the first half due to off sides penalties. LeTourneau held a 9-5 edge in shots in the first half and finished with a 14-12 advantage for the match.
The YellowJackets iced the game with a late goal at the 86:06 mark as Russell Gray found the net with the assist credited to Beau Weber. Centenary took seven shots after halftime with the YellowJackets taking five. LeTourneau had four shots on goal to three for Centenary. CJ Leyva played all 90 minutes in goal for LeTourneau and had three saves to get the victory.
Gents' junior goalkeeper Sami Borchalli (Lafayette, La.) played all 90 minutes and took the loss, allowing the two goals, and making two saves. Borchalli earned Honorable Mention all-conference honors last season as he played in 14 games with 13 starts, totaling 1272:06 of total playing time and collected 94 saves, the seventh-best total in a single season in the division III era.
Borchalli posted a 1.63 goals against average, the second-best GAA in a single season in the division III era and also recorded four shutouts, second-most in a single season in the division III era and tied for first in the SCAC. His goals against average ranked eighth in the SCAC, he ranked second in the conference in save percentage of .803 and saves. He also led the SCAC in saves per game (6.71).
The Gents will open their conference schedule on Feb. 20 at home versus Trinity. That match will be the first of three consecutive home matches in conference play for the Maroon and White as the Gents then face Dallas at Mayo Field on March 6 followed by Austin College on March 13. Centenary then hits the road for three matches in a row beginning with a contest at St. Thomas on March 20 followed by matches at Colorado College (March 27) and Southwestern on April 3.
The Gents face Schreiner on April 10 for Senior Day in their home finale and then finish the regular season at Texas Lutheran on April 17. Centenary then will serve as host for the 2021 SCAC Men's Soccer Championship on April 23 and 25 at Mayo Field.
A link to the Gents' complete schedule can be found here: https://www.gocentenary.com/sports/msoc/2020-21/schedule
Live stats and live video are available for all home matches.
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