Junior Ayouba Moussa netted the season's first goal off a penalty kick in helping Corban regain the Capital Cup from Willamette.
Moussa Helps Return Capital Cup to Corban
BOX SCORE
SALEM, Ore. – Junior Ayouba Moussa (Maradi, Niger) scored the game-winning goal off a penalty kick in the 55th minute, as Corban's men's soccer team regained the Capital Cup thanks to a 1-0 victory over Willamette Tuesday evening at Warrior Field.
In the annual battle between cross-town rivals, Corban and Willamette have competed for the Capital Cup in each of the past three seasons with the winner taking home the coveted trophy. The Warriors won the inaugural game, 4-2, before retaining the cup the very next year with a 3-1 victory. After watching the Capital Cup slip away last season at Sparks Field, Corban came out with revenge on their mind.
Over the opening 45 minutes, the host Warriors out-shot their cross-town rivals by eight (11-3) without cracking the mouth of the goal. Moussa had the best scoring opportunity in the first half when he got a breakaway, but could not convert when his shot hit the left post and was cleared away by the Bearcat defense.
In the second half, Moussa used some fancy footwork and drew a hand ball in the box that forced the game's lone goal to be scored. Without hesitation, Moussa stepped up to the ball and unleashed a rocket shot into the upper right corner for the game's lone goal via a penalty kick.
Despite putting pressure on the Corban defense throughout the remainder of the second half, Willamette could not get on the score board en route to suffering the hard-fought loss to open the season and returned the Capital Cup to the south side for the third time in four years.
Senior goalkeeper Aaron Franklin (Red Bluff, Calif.) played all 90 minutes for Corban and registered a game-high three saves, while Willamette platooned its net-minders. The Bearcats' Mark Bennett and Bradley Eckerson split time in between the pipes, as Bennett recorded two saves versus Eckerson's one.
With today's results, Corban opens its season at 1-0 versus Willamette's record of 0-1. The Warriors will be back in action on Saturday, September 5th, when they travel to Northern California to take on the Hawks of Holy Names beginning at 1:00 p.m. in Oakland, California.