Schlichting's hat trick, 2 assists lead Cape Central past Poplar Bluff

Cape Central's Preston Schlichting, right, settles the ball in front of Poplar Bluff's Kolby Greenwall during the first half Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022, at Mules Stadium in Poplar Bluff, Mo.

DAR/Brian Rosener

POPLAR BLUFF — The new scoreboard arrived and is in the process of being installed at Mules Stadium, but the Poplar Bluff soccer team didn’t have anything to post on it Thursday night.

The Mules were shut out for the fourth time this season and gave up two goals in the first five minutes in a 5-0 loss to Cape Central.

Preston Schlichting netted a hat trick and assisted the other goals for the Tigers. Timothy Kirby scored first on a break through the middle just 2 minutes, 31 seconds after the opening kickoff.

“(Schlichting and Kirby) are probably some of the best forwards in this area, this side of the state,” Poplar Bluff coach Rusty Crafton said. “If you don’t have a big body to body them up, they’re just going to eat you alive.

“They just cut our defense to pieces. They do that to most teams.”

The Tigers (8-0-1) have allowed just two goals this season and posted their seventh shutout. Senior goalie Tad Couch made five saves.

“Tad is obviously an incredible athlete, incredible goal keeper, very vocal,” Central coach Jared Dobbs said. “Our defensive line has been fantastic only allowing two goals thus far.”

The Tigers back line turned away a free kick in the opening minute and Central broke through moments later on Kirby’s goal.

Central went ahead by two goals at the 5:19 mark as Schlichting scored the first of his three goals. The junior cut through three Poplar Bluff defenders before getting off a shot from the 6-yard line that sailed inside the far post.

In their previous game, the Mules gave up a goal in the opening two minutes of a 2-1 loss to Seckman.

“We’re shooting ourselves in the foot and we’ve got to get it figured out,” Crafton said. “I don’t know if we need to change our warmups, I don’t know what it is, but we’re going to get it figured out next week and get it back to what we need to do.

“If that means we need to move people around, personnel around, that’s what we’re going to have to do.”

The Mules (1-7) had chances to get on the scoreboard, which on this night was an old-school, flip-card device on a table at midfield.

In the 17th minute, Poplar Bluff had a free kick from 30 yards but Caden Hambrick’s chip over the defense to the far post was stopped by a leaping save by Couch.

Aiden Robertson’s shot in the final minutes of the half missed the post and the Mules earned a corner chance when the whistle ended the half.

The Mules put pressure on Central to start the second half but the Tigers countered and Schlichting scored just six minutes after the break.

Schlichting turned on a shot in front of the net for a 4-0 lead at the 10:51 mark of the second half. He set up Central’s fifth goal with a cross to a wide-open Landon Koehler at the 13:48 mark. Poplar Bluff keeper Dawson Vaughan got a hand on the shot but not enough to push it wide.

Vaughan made 11 saves.

“Too many turnovers for us, way too many turnovers,” Crafton said.

Jose Garcia Ruiz had two assists for the Tigers.

Central quickly pressured the ball any time the Mules were in possession and won the majority of the 50-50 chances.

“They were in our face all night, making us panic with the ball,” Crafton said.

Said Dobbs, “We try not to give the opposing team more than three seconds on the ball.”

The Tigers won the previous meeting 1-0 on Aug. 27 at Carbondale, Illinois, with a penalty kick.

“We had some opportunities,” Crafton said. “I think we just get down and we get down on ourselves, we start putting our head down.”

Poplar Bluff travels to Sikeston on Thursday before a trip to Rolla for a tournament the following day.

Central plays Saruday at St. Francis Borgia before hosting Carbondale (Ill.) on Tuesday.

This story has been corrected, giving credit to Central's goal by Landon Koehler.