After missing several games due to injury, CU senior Will Snow returned to the pitch for the Cavaliers against C of I on Monday.
Quick Strikes Propel Cavs over Coyotes
PORTLAND, Ore. – After a scoreless first half, the Concordia men’s soccer team tallied a pair of goals in a 48-second span midway through the second to defeat College of Idaho 2-0 in Cascade Collegiate Conference action on Monday afternoon.
With the win, CU improved to 10-4-1 on the season with a 9-3-0 while C of I dropped to 6-6-1 overall and 6-4-1 in conference play.
“The boys needed a game where they could walk out after the match and know that they were rewarded for their attention to detail,” CU head coach Dan Birkey said. “There was a competitive quality today that had been lacking in previous matches."
The two teams combined to fire off 14 shots in the first half but were unsuccessful in generating a goal. The Cavaliers created the best scoring chance of the half with Jared Brace (Vancouver, Wash.) unleashing a breakaway shot 23 seconds into the match in a one-versus-one showdown with C of I keeper Aaron Franklin in which Franklin prevailed with the successful scoop.
Concordia stepped up its offensive pressure in the second half by taking 14 shots to the Yotes four attempts. The Cavaliers were able to break through at the 64:12 mark with Facundo Dipascuale (Buenos Aires, Argentina) firing a 14-yard dart above Franklin’s head after a feed from teammate Tyler Camp (Vancouver, Wash.).
Forty-eight seconds later, Brace would capitalize on another chance with a 16-yard drive into the lower right side of the net after receiving the ball from teammate Mirza Ramic (Banja Luka, Bosnia) to quickly give the Cavs a 2-0 lead where the score would hold through the final 25 minutes of action.
Franklin came through throughout the match for the Yotes, picking up nine saves on the day while taking the loss. Claudio Lazar (Ploiesti, Romania) snared two saves for the shutout win in goal for the Cavaliers.
CU outshot C of I 22-to-10 in the contest with Brace leading the way with six attempts, four of which counted as being on goal. Kazuki Murata and Zach Veasy each tallied three shots for the visiting side. Both teams created four corner kick opportunities in the match. It was the fourth shutout posted by the CU defense and just the third time the Yotes have been blanked in a game this year.
"It really strengthened us to have captain Will Snow back.” CU head coach Dan Birkey said. “His presence helped us organize and move cohesively along the back line."
Concordia returns to action on Oct. 31 when it travels to Northwest Christian for a 6 p.m. match in Eugene, Ore. Finishing off a three-game roadtrip, College of Idaho will host Corban College with a 4 p.m. competition on Halloween in Caldwell, Idaho.