Sophomore Ayouba Moussa tallied his seventh goal in his 14th game as a Warrior.
Pretty Goal by Moussa Lifts Corban Past Thunderbirds of Cascade
BOX SCORE
SALEM, Ore. – Thanks to one of the prettiest goals of the season by sophomore Ayouba Moussa (Maradi, Niger), Corban's men's soccer team picked up a much-needed 1-0 victory over the visiting Thunderbirds of Cascade Saturday afternoon on Warrior Field.
Coming off a nail-biting one-goal victory on Wednesday against non-conference member Walla Walla, Corban knew that a victory would push them closer to the top of the South Division standings just behind current leader, The College of Idaho.
In a defensive first half that saw a total of 10 shots taken, neither team could crack its opponent's defense. Both Corban and Cascade had numerous scoring chances, but after 45 minutes of play the halftime score was 0-0.
After a scoreless 63-plus minutes, senior Mark Schubert (Yakima, Wash.) took a free kick from the far sideline. With a left-footed pass, Schubert bent the ball towards the far post where sophomore Mark Mendenhall (Windsor, Calif.) headed it back towards the near post to an awaiting Moussa. Without hesitation, the 6-foot-3 African headed the ball into the back of the net for his second goal and sixth point of the season.
Over the game's final 20-plus minutes, Corban had a couple more scoring opportunities that came via Schubert corner kicks. Each time, Mendenhall got a head on the ball only to have it cleared away by a Thunderbird defender after the ball had gotten past a diving Cascade goalkeeper.
Moussa and junior Kaleb Herring (Waco, Texas) led the Warriors with three shots each, while junior net-minder Aaron Franklin (Red Bluff, Calif.) registered a game-high five saves en route to securing his fifth shutout of the season. So far this season, Corban has accumulated nine points via four wins and a tie with every point coming via a shutout.
Thanks to Franklin's fifth "goose egg" of the season, the 5-foot-10 goalie moves into a tie for fourth all-time in the program's single-season history for shutouts. Franklin is currently tied with former Warriors Mike Patron (1995) and Todd Kleppin (1990), who each registered four shutouts during their respective season.
Along with his shutout performances Franklin is in the midst of another scoreless streak, as he has not allowed a goal in the Warriors' last 190 minutes and 35 seconds of action.
Cascade was led by Fernando Montiel and Edson Zacarias, who each recorded four shots. Meanwhile, Efrain Vargas played the entire game between the pipes for the Thunderbirds and registered a pair of saves.
With its second straight one-goal win, Corban improves to 4-5-1 overall, including a 2-2-0 mark in Cascade Collegiate Conference play. Meanwhile, Cascade drops to 4-5-0 on the season, including 2-3-0 in CCC action. The Warriors while return to the field on Wednesday, October 1st, when they travel south to Klamath Falls to take on first-year program Oregon Tech in a 7:00 p.m. contest at the KC Sports Complex.