Shreveport - The Centenary men's soccer team made it an extra-special Senior Day on Saturday as the Gents picked up a key 2-0 victory over the Schreiner Mountaineers in a Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference match at Mayo Field.
The Gents (3-4-1, 3-3 SCAC) snapped a three-game losing streak and picked up an important four points in the conference standings heading into their final regular-season match at Texas Lutheran next Saturday. Schreiner dropped to 0-7 overall (0-7 SCAC) on the season.
Centenary, playing at home for the first time in nearly a month after three-straight road matches in conference play, improved to 3-1-1 at Mayo Field this season and is now an impressive 10-4-1 in its last 15 home matches. The Gents posted their second shutout of the season, both coming at home, after previously blanking Dallas 1-0 on March 7. The Maroon and White have now recorded seven shutouts at home over the last two seasons.
The Gents will enter the final regular-season weekend tied for fifth in the conference standings with Texas Lutheran, appropriately their opponent next Saturday. The Bulldogs are 3-3 (3-3 SCAC) and will face Colorado College at home on Sunday.
Gents' junior goalkeeper Sami Borchalli (Lafayette, La.) recorded his second shutout of the season and seventh of his career as he played all 90 minutes on Saturday and recorded six saves.
Centenary, which took 30 total shots in the match, kept Schreiner GK Cody Smith on alert all afternoon long as he made 10 saves and allowed both goals. The Gents' stingy defense limited the Mountaineers to just eight shots on the day. Schreiner also did not attempt a corner kick while the Gents took 12.
Following a scoreless first period, junior D Diego Hernandez (Carrollton, Texas) broke the ice with a goal, his first career score, just four minutes into the second half following a corner kick to give the Gents a 1-0 advantage with the assist credited to sophomore MF Jaron Petreas (Denton, Texas). Centenary's defense held the Mountaineers down for the next 25 minutes and then Petreas was fouled inside the box and was awarded a penalty kick. He proceeded to nail the opportunity for his team-best third goal of the season, giving the Gents a 2-0 lead in the 77th minute.
Centenary's six seniors were honored in a postgame ceremony on Saturday; D Shim Eliya (Fort Worth, Texas), F Ali Ibrahim (Shreveport), F/MF Gin Pau (Bossier City), MF Greg Petreas (Denton, Texas), D Jonathan Thomson (Corsicana, Texas), and F Matthew Young (Alexandria, La.).
Centenary 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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