Klamath Falls native Matt Kelly scored the game-winner as the Coyotes stopped OIT
CALDWELL, Idaho - Two goals in a 62 second span inside the final six minutes helped The College of Idaho win their debut at Simplot Stadium, rallying to defeat Oregon Tech, 3-2, in a Cascade Conference men's soccer match-up.
The victory for the Coyotes (2-2, 2-0 CCC) was their 14th-straight CCC victory - and their first on the nearly 50-year-old pitch that once housed C of I baseball and football.
OIT (3-3-1, 0-2-1) rallied from a one-goal deficit with back-to-back goals midway through the second half. Antonio Jaimes split a double-team just outside the Coyote box and touched a through-ball to Jory Lum, who slotted home the tying goal in the 68th minute. In the 80th minute, an Ian Van Der Zwan throw-in eluded traffic in the box, with Dallas Bille heading it into the goal for the 2-1 lead.
The Yotes would not be denied, as freshman Carlos Gomez collected a pass from Jesus Lopez at the top of the six-yard box and rammed a shot past Tech keeper Tommy Burden with five minutes to play. A minute later, Kazuki Murata played a ball down the left side to Lopez, who chipped a ball over the OIT defense to freshman Matt Kelly - and the Klamath Falls native flicked home the winner against his hometown team.
Despite a decisive edge in shots, Burden kept the Yotes at bay most of the afternoon - recording eight saves, and held The C of I off the scoreboard until the 57th minute, when the keeper had to retreat to kick a ball off the goal line after a defensive lapse, with sophomore Drew Smith in position to tap home the opening goal of the game.
The C of I returns to action next weekend, hosting a pair of games at 4 p.m. - Friday vs. Evergreen State and Saturday vs. Northwest.