DePauw drops contest with Centre; Cotton closes book on 39-year career

DePauw midfielder Kaes Kamman slides to block the kick of Centre's John Templeton during Saturday's matchup. Centre defeated the Tigers 1-0.

By CAINE GARDNER

Sports Writer

In frigid conditions, the DePauw men's soccer team fell to visiting Centre, 1-0 at Boswell Field Saturday.

Saturday's game marked the end of an era at DePauw, as head coach Page Cotton coached his final game for the Tigers.

"I thought that we played really well," Cotton said. "I thought there were times at the beginning of the first half and at the beginning of the second half that they (Centre) had a tremendous amount of energy and they put a lot of pressure on us."

A raucous DePauw crowd greeted them as they took the pitch and kept the Tigers charging throughout the night.

Both squads struggled to find their way in the first half. After 15 minutes, DPU began to gain some control and did a good job to pressuring Centre but the Tiger were unable to capitalize on opportunities. DePauw hit the half with more intensity than when the game began.

In the second half, the stalemate continued.

Both teams battled near midfield early, with neither posing a scoring threat until the latter part of the half.

With 8:51 on the clock, the Colonels' Matt Corbett blasted a shot past DePauw's John Fenley to break the tie.

The Tigers intensified their attack but were unable to connect on a goal as the final horn sounded.

Fenley tallied six saves in goal, while Centre out shot the Tigers 10-6 on the night.

Although the Tigers fell in the match, coach Cotton thought the team rose to the occasion defensibly.

"I thought we played really well defensively. They (Centre) are fast and skillful and I thought our backfield played extremely well," Cotton commented.

Over his 39-year career at DePauw, Cotton has amassed a record of 390-190-33. Cotton acknowledged his emotions after the game.

"It's obviously very emotional," Cotton said. "You don't do something for 39 years and not have a lot of blood, sweat and emotion. I undecided how I feel at this point, except for the fact that I've always felt that the players have had good experiences and hopefully they learned some life lessons.

"That's what's most important for me as a coach, knowing I had an impact of their life," Cotton concluded.

DePauw closes the season with a 12-5-1 record.

At DePauw

Centre 0 1 -- 1

DePauw 0 0 -- 0

Second Half

Centre -- Corbett (8:51)

Shots -- Centre 10, DPU 6.

Saves -- Centre 2, DPU 6.

DePauw closes the season with a 12-5-1 record.