David Proud and the Concordia defense allowed a single goal en route to a spot in the CCC title match next Wednesday.
Quick Strike Propels Concordia to CCC Title Tilt
BEAVERTON, Ore.—Scoring 59 seconds into the match, the Concordia men’s soccer team held off a upset-minded Cascade team with a 3-1 win to advance to the 2008 Cascade Collegiate Conference Championships.
With the result, Concordia improved to 13-5-1 on the year while Cascade ended the season at 11-8-1. The Cavs will battle for the 2008 CCC title at the College of Idaho on Nov. 11. The Yotes defeated Warner Pacific 3-0 in the league’s other semifinal match on Wednesday.
We get now to go back over to Idaho and challenge for a conference title. I look forward to this game in a big way. I believe our guys will respond to this opportunity. They will need to increase the work rate against a very active and dangerous Idaho team that has many smart and quality players. It's what a conference title is all about. Concordia has outright won or tied for the last six CCC championships. The Yotes defeated CU 4-2 in the Cavalier’s regular season finale in Idaho, ending a seven-match winning streak by Concordia.
“We now get to go back over to Idaho and challenge for a conference title. I look forward to this game in a big way. I believe our guys will respond to this opportunity, but they will need to increase their work rate against a very active and dangerous team that has many smart and quality players,” Concordia head coach Dan Birkey said. “It's what a conference title is all about.
Against Cascade, Facundo Dipascuale (Buenos Aires, Argentina) put the Cavs on the board with less than a minute of action expired. With teammate Tyler Camp (Vancouver, Wash.) taking the ball deep into Thunderbird territory, the junior forward turned for a cross nearly parallel to the endline, finding Dipascuale who lightly tapped the ball into the near post.
Cascade would respond with several counter attacks in the first half and would eventually square the match with a Devin Chaney (Helena, Mont.) blast from 12 yards out, streaking past Concordia goalkeeper Garrett Staples (Eugene, Ore.) diving reach.
After allowing the goal in the opening minute, the Thunderbird defense was able to muffle the Cavalier attack the rest of the opening period.
“To score that early is a both a blessing and curse. It’s nice to set the tone but sometimes it can create a lack of urgency,” Birkey said. “The second of those two might have occurred tonight.”
Four minutes out of the gate in the second period, the Cavaliers regained the lead with Skyler Kimball (Des Moines, Wash.) taking a Jon Larsen (Sedro-Wooley, Wash.) touch from the right side and pushing a 12-yard shot past Thunderbird goalie Efrain Vargas (Carpinteria, Calif.).
In the 78th minute, just moments after coming off the bench, Cesar Sanchez (Las Vegas, Nev.) provided the final blow for the 3-1 Cavalier lead.
“Cascade brought an immense amount of emotion to their play tonight. Their work rate in the first half wasn't really matched by our boys, to be honest,” Birkey said. “It was good to get into the break and fix a few leaks in the boat. It wasn't so much about personnel as it was about just getting back to what we do best.”
Statistically, the two teams mirrored each other with both squads recording two saves and three corner kicks. Concordia was credited with one additional shot for 11 attempts compared to a 10-shot total for the visitors.