Senior Fernando Karczeski netted his first goal since last season against Warner Pacific in Portland.
Corban's Offense Comes Alive in Conference Opener
SALEM, Ore. – Led by the two-goal performance of senior Fernando Karczeski (Curitiba, Brazil) and sophomore Ayouba Moussa’s (Maradi, Niger) goal and two assists, Corban’s men’s soccer team prevailed against Northwest Christian, 5-0, in Friday’s Cascade Collegiate Conference opener for both teams at Warrior Field.
The Warriors started the game strong on offense, led by Karczeski’s first goal in the fifth minute off a drop pass by Moussa. The early goal ended Corban’s recent offensive frustrations, as Karczeski’s strike ended a 406-plus minute scoring draught for the Warriors.
Thirty minutes later, senior Justin Lucia (Anchorage, Alaska), scored with via a deflection off a rebound off the Beacons’ keeper in the 35th minute. Moussa and junior Kaleb Herring (Waco, Texas) assisted on Lucia’s goal. Corban’s offense pressured NWU throughout the half, resulting in 11 first-half shots compared to five for the Beacons as the Warriors enjoyed a 2-0 lead at the half.
Corban’s offense picked up where it left off at halftime, as Karczeski cut through the Beacon defense to net his second goal unassisted in the 59th minute. Six minutes later, Moussa took a long pass down the left sideline from junior Jared Rust (Palo Cedro, Calif.) and cut to the middle to score a rolling shot into the right corner from just inside the 18-yard line.
The Warriors prevailed once more in the 76th minute, as sophomore Aaron Paulson (St. Helens, Ore.) found the net on a through ball in front of the goal by freshman Michael Cowan (Salem, Ore.). Corban’s offensive aggression once again generated 11 shots to NWU’s five in the half, as the Warriors registered 11 shots on goal compared to a mere two for the Beacons.
Corban junior Aaron Franklin (Red Bluff, Calif.) enjoyed another strong outing between the pipes for the Warriors, recording two saves in his second consecutive shutout (third on the season). Northwest Christian’s Cuyler Ziegler recorded a game-high six saves in goal for the Beacons in a complete-game performance.
With the victory, Corban improves to 2-3-1 on the season, including 1-0-0 in Cascade Collegiate Conference action. Meanwhile, Northwest Christian falls to 0-3-1, 0-1-0 in conference play. The Warriors will next be in action on Wednesday, September 17th, when they travel north to Kirkland, Washington to take on the Eagles of Northwest University in a CCC match at Lake Washington Stadium set to begin at 7:30p.m.
Recap written by Keith Wery, Corban College Sports Information Intern