Aberdeen Central didn’t really need the proverbial cherry on top of an already significant lead.

But Denon Deuter kinda sorta accidentally did just that, curving a corner kick from the far corner just inside the near post with just over 12 minutes remaining in Tuesday’s Class AA first round playoff game against Sioux Falls Roosevelt.

That goal was Deuter’s third of the game and stretched a 6-0 Golden Eagle lead to seven goals, and if that wasn’t enough, Sekou Gogue added an eighth not 90 seconds later for the final 8-0 win.

“I wasn’t trying to do that,” Deuter said of his final goal. “It was just a cross. I messed it up.”

Deuter’s so-called “mess up” may have been a bit wind-aided, as the Golden Eagles took advantage of a stiff southerly breeze to notch five second-half goals on Tuesday.

But as impressive as that second half barrage was, the three first-half tallies were equally, if not more important for setting the tone of the contest.

“I thought the boys — this was the same exact game against them (during the regular season). It was here, same wind, it was the exact same,” said Central coach Lance Mohr. “So I felt like they had seen the same picture. They came out and got that first goal right away … and that just set the tempo and the tone for us. I was very pleased that we finished.”

Jelani Peters picked up that first goal in the fourth minute of play, taking a cross from Deuter and finding the net. Marcos Ramos Garcia knocked a high bouncing shot over the Roosevelt goal tender in the 27th minute and Deuter beat his man to a through-ball pass and scored in the 31st minute — all against the wind — to give the Golden Eagles a 3-0 lead at the break.

From there, Central was able to possess the ball and apply significant pressure in the second half, so much so that senior goalkeeper Camden Fauth needed to make just one save all game before leaving late in the second half.

“(Possession) is really important going against the wind,” Mohr said. “I thought there were a couple times we got a little bit sloppy, just forcing things a little too much going into the wind instead of being patient, but overall the second half, we found a good rhythm. As the game went on and they got a little bit tired, the game just took care of itself.”

Peters ended the game with two goals, as did Ramos Garcia.

Central, the No. 4 seed in the Class AA tournament, will face fifth-seeded Sioux Falls Washington in the quarterfinal round at 1 p.m. Saturday. Central and Washington did not meet during the regular season.

Sioux Falls Roosevelt 0 0 – 0

Aberdeen Central 3 5 – 8

First half: 1, AC, Jelani Peters (Denon Deuter), 4th minute; 2, AC, Marcos Ramos Garcia (Deuter), 27th minute; 3, AC, Deuter (Sekou Gogue), 31st minute.

Second half: 4, AC, Ramos Garcia (Deuter), 42nd minute; 5, AC, Deuter (Ramos Garcia), 47th minute; 6, AC, Peters (Tyler Bain), 63rd minute; 7, AC, Deuter (unassisted), 68th minute; 8, AC, Gogue (unassisted), 70th minute.