Brian Buckingham headed home the game winner in C of I's win over OIT
CALDWELL, Idaho - Brian Buckingham headed home the game-winner with less than eight minutes remaining, capping a furious College of Idaho comeback, as the Coyotes extended their win streak to four with a 3-2 victory over Oregon Tech, at Simplot Stadium.
Trailing 2-1 with less than 15 minutes to play, the Coyotes (8-7, 7-4 CCC) began their comeback – as OIT failed to clear a ball from the Coyote box, resulting in a corner kick. Michael Meyer served a ball into the middle of the six-yard box, with Parker Waddell heading home the equalizer.
In the 82nd minute, the Yotes nearly tied it, as a flurry in the box netted a pair of point-blank shots from Carlos Gomez that were turned away by the Owls (5-9-1, 3-7-1) defense, but The C of I was able to earn a corner kick. Meyer served a ball to the far post, where Spencer Ward redirected the ball to Buckingham, who headed the ball into the upper corner for the winner.
Tech had a final crack at tying the game in the last minute, but their corner kick was cleared by the Coyote defense.
The Coyotes took advantage of a defensive miscue by the OIT backs to get on the board first. In the 26th minute, a goal kick was misplayed, with Brad Byers finding Matt Kelly at the far post, where he flicked home his fifth goal in as many games.
The score would remain the same until the 57th minute, when Leo Keiser was fouled on a run in The C of I box – with Antonio Jaimes converting the resulting penalty kick to tie the score. Eight minutes later, OIT took the lead, as Gabe Rennels corralled a loose ball at the top of the 18 and cracked a left-footed blast into the goal.
The Coyotes held a 26-17 edge in total shots, while both teams had six corner kicks.
The C of I closes out the home portion of their schedule next weekend, hosting Corban and Concordia.