Tyler Peake gave Concordia a 1-0 lead with his goal just before the end of the first half.
Last-Minute Goals Push Cavs into Simon Fraser Rematch
CAMAS, Wash.— With 47 ticks left in the first period and 39 seconds left in the second, the Concordia University men’s soccer team capitalized late on two occasions to secure a berth into the NAIA Region I championship match after upending Westminster College (Utah) 2-0 in the tournament semifinals.
With the win, Concordia moved to 16-3-0 on the season and will face Simon Fraser University on Saturday for the claim to an automatic bid to the NAIA national championship tournament to be played in Olathe, Kan., Nov. 14-20.
Simon Fraser enters the match with a 14-1-1 record after defeating Warner Pacific College 3-0 in the early game. Ranked No. 8 in the final NAIA poll, Simon Fraser defeated Concordia 2-0 in a neutral match in the season’s opening week of play. The Cavaliers enter the match ranked No. 21 in the final poll that was released on Oct. 31.
In the closing minute of the first period, Tyler Peake (Vancouver, Wash.) struck for Concordia’s 14th shot of the half and the first which resulted in a score, breaking the scoreless stalemate at the 44:13 mark in the half. Charging to join the fray, Peake connected after collecting the ball off a rebounded shot off the foot of teammate Skyler Kimball (Des Moines, Wash.).
“The bottom line is the guys have a great deal of belief in what we are doing,” Concordia head coach Dan Birkey said. “Their persistence demonstrates a true understanding of the game.”
With almost another full 45 minutes of scoreless play, Joey Graham notched his 10th goal of the season with a 1-on-1 goal in the 90th minute of action. Sprinting alone with the ball down the far sideline, Graham’s 18-yard shot slipped past the right side of Westminster keeper Kimball Parker for the clinching score.
Overall, the Cavs outshot Westminster 25-4 and generated 11 corner kicks to the Griffins’ two.
“That’s kind of been a blessing and a curse in that we have been creating a lot of chances, but not capitalizing and putting teams away,” Birkey said. “I thought we came out strong in both halves but the key for me tonight is the shutout. Not a lot of teams have done that to this team this season.”
Parker tallied three saves in goal for Westminster while Garrett Staples (Eugene, Ore.) stopped three shots in the shutout win while tending the net for the Cavaliers.
“We play a very good team tomorrow and it should be a great college soccer game,” Birkey said. “The boys have been working for this game all season long, but we are going to have to be sharp on the pitch.”