CU Junior goalkeeper Tori Talbutt recorded her CCC-leading sixth shutout of the season in the Cavs' 1-0 win over Corban on Saturday
Cavs Top Corban 1-0 in Tight Match
STATS - Concordia vs. Corban
PORTLAND, Ore.—The No. 4 Concordia women’s soccer team prevailed 1-0 over Corban University in a tight conference match on Saturday.
“You get into conference games and you have rivalries that date back a long time. This matchup has been tight for years and I didn’t expect anything differently today,” CU Head Coach Grant Landy said.
Concordia (10-3-1, 5-0-0 CCC) got its lone goal in the 26th minute when midfielder Kaylynn Winwood set up forward Alex Thomas in the middle. Once with the ball, Thomas turned on it immediately and launched a ball on goal that found the upper left corner of the net.
Concordia did its best to keep the pressure on Corban (7-6-0, 2-3-0 CCC), putting up two more shots and five corners after the goal. Those helped push the Cavs’ advantages to 5-to-1 in shots and 10-to-0 in corners at the half.
However, once the teams returned to the field, Corban stepped up their own effort and put up more shots than the Cavs in the second half (5-to-3).
“I thought we played really well in the first half. We created chances and corners while knocking the ball around,” Landy said. “We had good intensity, but soccer is a funny game. The tone and intensity can change on a dime and Corban came out ready in the second half and we never really matched it. We were fortunate that we bent and did not break.”
The Warriors had their best chance at a goal in the 56th minute when forward Audrey Sullivan won a 50-50 ball against the CU defense. Sullivan then sprinted past the CU backline and had a one-on-one with the Cavs’ goalkeeper Tori Talbutt. Fortunately for the Cavs, Sullivan sent her shot wide left and the score remained 1-0 in their favor.
Corban put up three more shots through the rest of the match, but could not find an equalizer and Concordia walked away with its seventh straight victory.
Overall, Concordia took home a big advantage in corners (10-to-0), but only a small one in shots (8-to-6) as the Warriors evened it with their second-half effort. Corban also had more shots on goal than the Cavs with two compared to CU’s one.
In goal, Talbutt recorded her sixth shutout of the season with two saves. The shutout also gave the Cavs three straight as a team and their eighth of the season. For Corban, Kaitlyn Mendenhall allowed the one goal, while facing eight shots.
Concordia now turns to Northwest Christian University at home on Monday, Oct. 17 at 7 p.m. The Warriors, meanwhile, face Warner Pacific on Saturday at 1 p.m.