Sophomore Audrey Sullivan tallied her first goal of the season Thursday against cross town rival Willamette, while also taking the team's overall lead in points.
Sullivan's Goal Leads Corban Past Willamette
BOX SCORE
SALEM, Ore. – Sophomores Audrey Sullivan (Puyallup, Wash.) and Tera McDonough (Boise, Idaho) teamed up on the game-winning goal in the fourth minute, as Corban's women's soccer team defeated cross town rival Willamette, 1-0, Thursday at Sparks Field.
"I was pleased that Audrey was able to get that first goal and set a tone for the match," said head coach Marty Ziesemer. "It was a great game to watch. Both teams played well and it was back and forth. We were unlucky not to get another goal or two in the second half, but WU's defense played well and the keeper made some good saves. I always like playing at Willamette, as it is a great atmosphere and the ladies get pumped up for the game."
For the second year in a row, Corban earned a one-goal victory over its NCAA Division III rival under the lights in the shadow of the state capitol building.
The visiting Warriors wasted no time tonight getting the early advantage, as McDonough would send a perfectly placed pass onto the awaiting foot of Sullivan. The second-year Warrior received the ball from McDonough about 28 yards out and had a step or two on the defense. Sullivan beat Willamette's goalie near the top corner of the penalty box, then unleashed a shot from 15-yards near the left edge of the box into the empty net.
Both teams registered seven shots over the opening 45 minutes, as Corban's freshman goalkeeper Kaitlyn Mendenhall (Windsor, Calif.) corralled a pair of saves in keeping the host Bearcats off the score board.
In the second half, Corban had a chance to put home an insurance goal when junior Brittany Bowman (Shelton, Wash.) unleashed a shot in the 63rd minute that eluded Willamette's keeper. Unfortunately, Bowman's shot was cleared off the line by the Bearcat defense en route to keeping the one-goal game intact.
Willamette would put half of its six second half shots on goal only to have reserve sophomore keeper Alexis Beattie (Brea, Calif.) stop all three with the final opportunity coming in the 88th minute via a header off a Bearcat corner kick that sailed wide right and preserved Corban's one-goal victory.
Overall, Corban controlled the offensive flow of the game collecting three more shots (16-13) than Willamette to go along with 8-5 advantage in shots on goal. The host Bearcats would earn one more corner kick (4-3) than the visiting Warriors, but Corban capitalized when it needed via the fourth minute game-winning score.
Mendenhall registered a pair of saves to go along with three for Beattie, as the duo combined for the team's second shutout of the season. Meanwhile, Willamette's Nicole Price collected a game-high eight saves despite suffering the heart-breaking loss.
With tonight's result, Corban improves to 3-1 overall and Willamette opens its 2011 season at 0-1. The Warriors will return to action after an eight-day layoff against NCAA Division III member Linfield on Saturday, September 10th, at 7:00 p.m. in McMinnville.