Scott Bernard and the Concordia held Warner Pacific to eight shot attempts on Saturday.
Quick Start Propels Concordia Over WPC, Into CCC North Lead
BEAVERTON, Ore.—Playing with a player down for much of the contest, a pair of first-period goals followed by stout defense boosted the Concordia men’s soccer team to a 2-1 win over Warner Pacific in Cascade Collegiate Conference action at the Tualatin Hills Park and Recreation Center on Saturday night.
With the win, Concordia improved to 9-4-1 on the year with a 6-1-0 record in CCC play to take a six-point lead over Warner Pacific (8-4-0, 4-2-0 CCC) in the North Division standings.
“I thought that in this situation it was a good test for the guys,” Concordia head coach Dan Birkey said. “I am happy with how the team responded by getting back to old style Navy soccer tonight. They rolled up the sleeves and worked.
Concordia jumped out to an early lead with a successful header by Skyler Kimbal in thr 8th minute. After a play into the box by teammate Tyler Camp, Kimbal turned on the ball from five yards out to connect for his first goal of the season.
“It was a smart quality finish and in this kind of cross-town derby, the first goal is always extremely important,” Birkey said.
The Cavs would produce a chance to double its advantage with a penalty kick in the 29th minute but would witness the opportunity vanish with the kick attempt by Joey Graham glance off the crossbar.
The Concordia fortune would immediately turn for the worse with Graham booked for a red card in the 29th minute, forcing the team to play with a short staff for the duration of the contest.
Working to maintain possession, the Cavs would produce a short-handed goal with Bryan Iotte finding the net in the 37th minute to give CU a crucial 2-0 advantage with more than a full period of play looming.
“There was an awkward deflection down there and Iotte got a toe on it,” Birkey said. “Good players have a way of redeeming themselves in big situations and he was able to muscle it in.”
With Facundo Dipascuale creating havoc for the Knight defense, the Cavaliers would receive a second penalty kick opportunity in the 39th minute only to once again see the showdown end in disappointment with Iotte’s attempt sailing harmlessly high above the horizontal beam.
After being held to just a single shot in the first stanza, Warner Pacific would manufacture seven shot attempts in the second frame, finally breaking through in the 66th minute with an Andrew Scott blast from 15 yards after receiving the feed from teammate Alija Sacirovic.
The Cavalier defense, minus an injured Tyler Peake who left the field early in the first period, would hold firm the rest of the way. Garrett Staples posted three saves while allowing the single score to take the win while Warner Pacific counterpart Ted Latta rejected 12 saves in the losing effort.
“Our back line tried to keep organized. We had a gameplan in place and how they followed through with that plan is a sign of maturity,” Birkey said. “I’m proud of the whole bunch of guys back there and (Zach) Madison really stepped up when Peake went down. He came in and did exactly what we were asking of him which is a great adjustment for a freshman to make.”
Concordia returns to action on Oct. 14as the Cavaliers travel to Evergreen State for a 4 p.m. match in Olympia, Wash.