Radcliffe McDougald scored the game winner in the 6th minute of play and returned for a second score in the 74th minute of action against the Eagles.
Danciu, McDougald Lead Cavs in CCC Semis
BOX SCORE - Concordia vs. Northwest
PORTLAND, Ore.—With the winner advancing to the CCC Championship and one game away from a berth into the 2012 NAIA National Championships, the No. 16 Concordia men’s soccer team defeated Northwest 4-0 at Tuominen Yard on Tuesday.
As a result, Concordia will host No. 2-seeded Evergreen State for the CCC Championship Match as the Geoducks defeated Warner Pacific 4-1 while hosting the alternate semifinal. Concordia beat Evergreen State 2-0 at home and then 4-1 on the road this season, though the Geoducks went a perfect 12-0-0 against the rest of the CCC.
Meanwhile, against the Eagles, Concordia started a dominant first half with a goal in the 6th minute. Danny Morato created the opportunity with a hard shot on goal that Northwest goalkeeper Joe Galbraith saved, but couldn’t corral. A Northwest defender managed a slight touch in an attempt to clear, but the clearance did not make it out of the 18-yard box. Instead, Radcliffe McDougald intercepted the ball at the upper left corner of the box, took a slight bump forward and netted a low drive to the near the post.
The Cavaliers nearly added to their advantage moments after the goal too, as Sam Camichael headed a ball off the crossbar following a Septi Danciu corner kick less than three minutes after McDougald’s score. Carmichael’s shot would not be the only shot that just missed either, as the Cavs put three shots off the crossbar and one of the post in the first half alone.
Overall, the Cavaliers outshot the Eagles 15-1 in the first half, seven of which were on goal. However, the Eagles’ Galbraith made six saves in the opening period, leaving the Cavs without a second goal at halftime.
“The first half was encouraging in that we were aggressive in going forward and getting chances,” said CU head coach Dan Birkey. “The tough part of that is we have had those game this year and became discouraged with not finishing well. We have to keep working and increase concentration and focus.”
Northwest came out strong at the start of the second half, as the Eagles pushed into the attacking half much more, keeping the Cavs’ attack at bay.
The Eagles had their best look at an equalizer in the 56th minute of the match when Do-Hee Kim launched a blistering shot from 40 yards that just went over the crossbar.
The Cavs found their legs again after that and eventually got their second goal of the match off a penalty kick from Danciu in the 64th minute of the match.
Carmichael earned the penalty for the Cavs after Galbraith ran into his back, knocking Carmichael down while he was going for a header at the top of the box.
Galbraith received a yellow for the play, while Danciu stepped up to take the resulting penalty, Danciu had made five of his six penalty kicks this season entering the match, and calmly put away his sixth of the season on Tuesday.
Danciu’s goal continued to open things up for Concordia as the Cavs action in the attacking half for much of the remainder of the match.
That push forward eventually resulted in McDougald scoring again, putting the Cavs up 3-0 in the 74th minute. McDougald’s second goal came in a similar way to the first as he won the ball off a defender at the top left corner of the box. From there, McDougald fired a hard shot on frame that glanced off the near post and into the side netting on the right.
Not to be outdone, Danciu then put his second goal of the match in the net, pushing the Cavs’ lead to 4-0 in the 80th minute of the match. Danciu surprised Galbraith with the goal as the junior forward squeezed a direct shot off a free kick through the Eagles’ wall and into the net from 25 yards out.
All told, the Cavaliers’ three second-half goal came within 16 minutes of each other, leaving the Eagles with no chance to even the match.
“The boys adjusted well in the second half and got stronger in attitude,” said Birkey. “Their quality in passing increased and their sharpness around goal was significant.”
Overall, Concordia outshot the Eagles 28-4, including a 12-1 advantage in shots on goal as well as a 13-1 advantage in corner kicks.
The Cavs will now quickly turn their attention to the Geoducks, who they’ll host for the CCC Championship Match at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 10.
“Saturday will be a very competitive college soccer contest as Evergreen has been on a roll lately,” said Birkey.
If the Cavaliers can beat the Geoducks, then they’ll automatically advance to the NAIA National Tournament for the third straight season and for the sixth time in the past eight years. If the Geoducks win, then the Cavs will have to hope for an at-large bid into the national tournament.