Freshman Rileigh Mankin was one of three Warriors to score Wednesday afternoon, as Corban picked up a season-opening win over D-II member Western Oregon.
Corban Opens With Shutout Win Over Wolves
BOX SCORE
SALEM, Ore. – Freshman Rileigh Mankin (Manteca, Calif.) scored the eventual game-winning goal via a penalty kick in the 43rd minute before two more second half goals were added, as Corban's women's soccer team opened the 2010 season with a 3-0 victory over Western Oregon Wednesday on Warrior Field.
This is the fourth time in the past five seasons that Corban has opened its season unbeaten, as the Warriors battled to a 1-1 tie in double overtime with NCAA Division II member Northwest Nazarene last year in Idaho.
Today's game began as a back-and-forth battle before Western Oregon was whistled for a hand ball in the penalty box that set up Mankin's first collegiate goal. After hearing the referee's whistle, Mankin calmly deposited her first shot as a college player into the lower left corner of the goal after getting the Wolves' keeper to jump the opposite way.
Corban would hold its one-goal advantage through the final three minutes of the opening half before Western Oregon began an offensive on-slaught in the opening minutes of the final period. The Wolves had a chance to tie the game in the 59th minute when Marina Austin's shot bounced off the cross bar only to find no awaiting WOU players in the area.
Less than three minutes later, freshman Audrey Sullivan (Puyallup, Wash.) gave the host Warriors a little breathing room when she scored her first collegiate goal via a one-timer off an assist from sophomore Emily Tsugawa (Gladstone, Ore.). Sullivan's tally came in the 62nd minute, as she would put Corban up two goals.
In the 88th minute, Tsugawa would cap the game's scoring when she collected a loss ball in the box after following a one-two combo pass from sophomore Brittany Bowman (Shelton, Wash.) and junior Amanda Mendenhall (Windsor, Calif.). Tsugawa's first goal of the season and seventh of her young career would put the final touches on the Warriors' first season-opening shutout in two years.
Junior goalkeeper Amber Kliewer (Fox Island, Wash.) grabbed her first shutout in a Warrior uniform, as she registered a game-high five saves on 15 WOU shots. Meanwhile, Western Oregon split time between the pipes with Brittney Rigtrup playing the first half before Kelsie Blachly closed out the contest. Rigtrup would register the Wolves' lone three saves on the afternoon despite suffering the loss.
Corban was outplayed in both shots (15-11) and corner kicks (9-4), but capitalized when it counted thanks to a 50% conversion rate in shots on goal.
With today's season-opening result, Corban improves to 1-0-0. Meanwhile, Western Oregon counted today's game as an exhibition contest therefore the loss does not effect its overall record. The Warriors will be back in action on Wednesday, September 1st, when they travel down Highway 22 to take on NCAA Division III member and crosstown rival Willamette beginning at 5:00 p.m. on Sparks Field.