Knights Down No. 18 Concordia 3-1, Take Top Spot in CCC
BOX SCORE
Warner Pacific grabs the top spot in the Cascade Conference after topping rival Cavaliers
PORTLAND, Ore. --- The Warner Pacific men’s soccer team defeated Cascade Conference rival No. 18 Concordia for the second year in a row, picking up a 3-1 win and moving into sole possession of first place in the CCC. The Knights improve to 7-2-0 on the season (3-0-0 CCC) while Concordia slips to 5-4-2 (2-1-0 CCC).
The Knights set an aggressive tone early in the game, nearly scoring twice in the first five minutes and constantly pushing forward to attack the Concordia defense. The game also turned physical early, with three yellow cards being shown in the first half. At the 31 minute mark, Andrew Scott sent a long pass into the box that found the feet of senior Chris Price, who volleyed a shot into the net from six yards out to put the Knights ahead 1-0.
The Knights extended their lead in the 57th minute when Davor Lukic sent a cross into the box from the left side that found freshman Alija Sacirovic, who headed it home for his fourth goal of the season. Justin Coughlin tacked on an insurance goal in the 85th minute, receiving a pass from Lukic and sending a low, bouncing shot from 25 yards out that got past Cavalier keeper Garrett Staples.
It capped an excellent week for Lukic, who tallied two assists in the game to go along with the two goals he netted in Warner Pacific’s 3-1 win over Cascade on Tuesday.
Concordia did manage to break the shutout with four minutes to go when Bryan Iotte knocked in a ball from six yards out, but it was too little too late as the Knights held on for the 3-1 win.
For the game, Warner Pacific had 16 shots to 13 for Concordia, with Knights keeper Ted Latta recording five saves and Staples registering eight.
The Knights return to action on September 30 with a home match against Evergreen State before beginning a four game road trip.