CU Cruises to 4-0 Win over Oregon Tech
BOX SCORE - Concordia vs. Oregon Tech
PORTLAND, Ore.—Behind a dominant first half, the No. 17 Concordia men’s soccer team cruised to a 4-0 victory over Oregon Tech on Friday.
With the win, Concordia clinched a conference playoff spot, while improving to 10-0-0 in conference play and 11-2-1 overall. Oregon Tech, meanwhile, dropped to 1-11-1 overall and 1-8-0 in the CCC with the loss.
The fireworks got started early in the match on Friday, as OIT goalkeeper Tanner Lee got a red card just 3:30 into the match. Lee earned the card after he tackled Concordia’s Septi Danciu just outside the 18-yard box when Danciu had already beaten him on a one-versus-one play.
That left OIT a man down against the conference-leading Cavaliers, who immediately took advantage.
Coincidentally, it’d be Danciu who would strike first for the Cavs, as the junior connected on a shot from 20 yards out just 2:34 after he had been taken down.
Danciu’s goal put the Cavs up 1-0, but the team did not relent after that, as Radcliffe McDougald netted the Cavs’ second goal just over seven minutes after Danciu’s score. McDougald got the shot from 18 yards out off a pass from Michael Chamberlain and hammered a line drive to the upper corner of the OIT goal.
Good fortune struck the Cavs again just five minutes later when an OIT defender took down Chamberlain in the box as Chamberlain was attempting a header. That gave Concordia a penalty kick, which Danciu converted for his second goal of the match.
The match settled down a bit after Danciu’s second goal, as the teams each earned five shots over the next 16 minutes.
OIT got a couple of shots on frame during those 16 minutes, but Concordia goalkeeper Scott Gross saved both to keep the Owls scoreless in the match.
Concordia’s Danny Morato then added to the Owls’ heartbreak as he netted a rocket in 37th minute to put the Cavs up 4-0. Morato shot the ball from 30-yards out on the play and then watched as the line drive sailed over the outstretched hands of OIT goalkeeper Loren Jessen and into the goal.
OIT shut the Cavs out over the rest of the first half, but the four goals in the period set a new team-high for the Cavaliers in a single half this season.
“OIT’s a team where if you don’t get a grip on the match early, then they can stick around and hurt you,” CU head coach Dan Birkey said. “The boys did a good job tonight moving forward throughout the match.”
The second half then became dressing for the Cavaliers, who didn’t score, but still outshot the Owls 7-2 in the period. All seven of Concordia’s shots came after OIT’s too, as the Cavaliers controlled the final minutes of the match.
Overall, Concordia outshot OIT 23-7 in the match, including a 12-3 advantage in shots on goal and a 7-2 advantage in corner kicks.
In goal, Gross finished with three saves in the match for Concordia after playing all 90 minutes to record his second shutout in only his third start of the season.
Jessen, meanwhile, played the final 86:30 of the match in goal for OIT after Lee’s early red card.
Next up, Concordia hosts The College of Idaho at 6 p.m. tomorrow, Oct. 20. On the flip side, OIT also returns to action tomorrow, as the Hustlin’ Owls travel across town to face Warner Pacific at 1 p.m.