Pirotte Strike Dashes Comeback by College of Idaho
PORTLAND, Ore. – After seeing a 2-0 lead dissolve early in the second period, Concordia University senior midfielder Steve Pirotte dashed the comeback hopes of visiting Albertson College with an 86th-minute shot into the net for a 3-2 Concordia win at The Yard to extend its Cascade Collegiate Conference winning streak to six matches.
For the season, Concordia moved to an 8-2-0 record with a 6-0-0 mark in conference play while Albertson dropped to 6-3-1 on the year with a 3-2-1 tally in the CCC.
Inside of the first 11 minutes of the game, Joey Graham (Pasco, Wash.) opened the CU offensive attack with his fifth and six goal of the season. At the 9:15 mark, Graham took a rebound and lifted a 15-yard shot into the net to put the Cavs up 1-0. Less than 90 seconds later, the junior forward connected on a 20-yard kick inside the far post for the 2-0 advantage.
After going over five and a half matches without allowing a goal, Albertson College erased Concordia University’s conference shutout streak in the 47th minute with a 35-yard laser shot by Mauricio Both.
Moments later the Yotes erased the CU lead with a scoring strike by Michael Delgado after finishing a scramble from the right side. With an assist credited to Kazuki Murata, Delgado capitalized on an opportunity inside of the box with a 10-yard strike to the far post.
“They equalized all the work we had done in the first period in less than six minutes,” Concordia head coach Dan Birkey said. “We came out casual in the second period and they have a good team with some players that can punish you in a hurry.”
After a pair of counter attack by the Yotes ending in offsides calls, Steve Pirotte (SeaTac, Wash.) provided a successful counter attack for the Cavs with a left-footed crack in the 86th minute to boost Concordia back into the lead.
With a cross by Bent Jenson (Beaverton, Ore.) that deflected off a defender, Pirotte turned on the ball from 12 yards out to generate the game-winning score.
“I was shocked it went in,” Pirotte said. “I can’t even remember the last time I hit a last-minute winner like that.”
The Cavaliers finished with 21 shots to Albertson’s 11. Taking a 12-5 lead in shot attempts for the first period, Albertson closed the gap with six shots to Concordia’s nine in the second. The Yotes produced six corner kicks compared to four for Concordia.
“It was definitely intense out there,” Pirotte said. “After we let in those two goals, we came back together and committed to going in there and getting it done.”
Garrett Staples (Eugene, Ore.) rejected five shots for the win, improving his season record to 7-2-0. Jay Gentle took the loss for the Yotes while collecting seven saves.
“The guys showed some resiliency against one of the top teams in the conference,” Birkey said. “I think we still have to learn how to protect what we have earned and not take it for granted. We have to stay sharp because the game can turn sharply.”
The Cavaliers return to the pitch tomorrow to face Cascade College in an away match in Portland, Ore. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m.
With the Albertson win, Concordia continued its regular season CCC undefeated streak to 10 matches. Corban College handed Concordia its last conference loss with a 1-3 defeat at The Yard on October 12, 2006. In addition, Concordia’s shutout streak stopped at 512 minutes 37 seconds.