Custis matches Central record in win over Scottsbluff

Mar. 18—CHEYENNE — Dirk Dijkstal was bursting with nervous energy prior to his first match as Cheyenne Central's boys soccer coach.

"I don't think I slept at all last night," Dijkstal said.

Junior Logan Custis made sure his coach could rest easy, scoring four goals and assisting on another to help the Indians beat visiting Scottsbluff, Nebraska, 6-0 on Friday night at Riske Field.

The win was Central's first with someone other than Tim Denisson as head coach. Denisson retired in November after 36 seasons on the sideline. Dijkstal — a 2007 Central grad — played for Denisson and then spent seven seasons as an assistant on his staff.

While the possession-based style of play was similar to what Indians fans are accustomed to seeing, Dijkstal has already added his own wrinkle to their formation. Central largely played a 4-3-3 under Denisson, but employed a 4-4-2 on Friday.

"We came out strong and possessed the ball really well going through the midfield," Dijkstal said. "We were able to use our two forwards, and they played off each other really well. Sammy Shumway also did a good job in moving back from striker to midfield.

"He did a really good job of quarterbacking from the midfield as we were progressing into our offense."

Central got on the scoreboard in the third minute when Custis drew Scottsbluff goalkeeper Zach Wharton off his line and then slipped a pass to Roscoe Cone-LeBeaumont for a goal.

Custis netted his first goal with a low, right-footed shot in the 10th. In the 21st, Shumway carried the ball down the middle of the field before flicking a pass outside to Custis. Custis ripped a shot to the far post for a 3-0 lead.

Cone-LeBeaumont fed a pass to Custis in the 53rd. Custis sidestepped a sliding defender in the penalty area and snuck a hard shot under the crossbar. Custis scored his final goal of the night in the 57th.

His four goals match a Central single-game record, while his hat trick is the 62nd in school history.

"That 4-4-2 diamond created a lot of space for us," Custis said. "We were worried at the beginning of the match about not having enough width, but we figured it out and got it done.

"I'm very excited about the way we started. We opened up a lot of space and worked right through them."

Junior defender Brock Pedersen rounded out the scoring when he carried a ball down the right side of the field and hit a shot to the near post. Wharton looked like he made a diving save initially, but the ball squirted through his hands and over the goal line for a 6-0 Central lead.

The Indians play at Gering, Nebraska, today.

CENTRAL 6, SCOTTSBLUFF 0

Halftime: Central 3-0.

Goals: Central, Cone-LeBeaumont (Custis), 3. Central, Custis, 10. Central, Custis (Shumway), 21. Central, Custis (Cone-LeBeaumont), 53. Central, Custis, 57. Central, Pedersen, 63.

Shots: Scottsbluff 3, Central 23. Shots on goal: Scottsbluff 2, Central 17. Saves: Scottsbluff 11 (Wharton), Central 2 (Da. Mattimoe).

Corner kicks: Central 4, Scottsbluff 1. Offsides: Scottsbluff 0, Central 3. Fouls: Central 9, Scottsbluff 4.

Jeremiah Johnke is the WyoSports editor. He can be reached at jjohnke@wyosports.net or 307-633-3137. Follow him on Twitter at @jjohnke.