Corban extended its season-opening and school-record unbeaten streak to 12 straight games thanks to a one-goal victory over CCC rival Northwest Christian Saturday at Mike Kelly Field in Springfield.
Corban Extends Unbeaten Streak to 12 Games With Win Over Rival Northwest Christian
BOX SCORE
SPRINGFIELD, Ore. – Eliseo Santana scored the game-winning goal at the 87:21 mark, as the NAIA's No. 25-ranked Corban University remained unbeaten so far this season with a 2-1 victory over Cascade Collegiate Conference rival Northwest Christian University Saturday at Mike Kelly Field.
Corban (10-0-2, 7-0-2 CCC) reached double-digits in wins for the second time in the past three seasons after the Warriors went six seasons without recording 10-or-more wins in a year. On the other hand, Northwest Christian (0-13-0, 0-9-0 CCC) had its losing streak extended to 20 straight dating back to the midway point of last season.
In the game's opening few minutes, Corban took the lead on Josh Hamilton's team-leading fifth goal of the season. The third-year Warrior would take advantage of a long throw-in by James Williamson, as Hamilton put home a close range strike in the third minute giving the visiting Warriors the early lead.
Neither team would score again during the opening half, as Corban held to a one-goal lead after the Warriors registered seven more shots (11-to-4) than Northwest Christian. The visitors also put three shots on goal compared to the host Beacons' two.
Just over 12 minutes into the second half, Northwest Christian would get the equalizer thanks to a goal by Nick Peloquin in the 58th minute. Peloquin would score his team-high tying second goal of the season off a combo assist from Josh Bramlett and Isaiah Blake. Bramlett and Blake would begin the play with a combined one-touch pass that Peloquin volleyed into the back of the net from 10 yards out to even the game (1-1) at the 57:07 mark.
The game would turned into an evenly contested contest over the next 30 minutes until Santana deposited his second goal of the season into the back of the net off an assist from Arsinio Walker. At the 87:21 mark, Walker would send a cross into the box that was deflected by a NCU defender only to fall at the feet of Santana that he punched into an empty net for the game-winner.
Over the final two-plus minutes, Corban would register the game's final shot without either team finding the back of the net.
Corban's goalkeeper Jordan Farr registered four saves for the Warriors, while NCU's Max Torres tallied a game-high five saves in between the pipes for the Beacons.
Overall, Corban would register nine more shots (17-to-8) than Northwest Christian even though the second half was seperated by a mere two shots (6-4, Corban). The visiting Warriors would put one more shot on goal (5-to-4), while Corban earned six more corner kicks (9-to-3) than NCU.
Both teams will return to action on Wednesday, October 23rd, when Corban battles nationally-ranked Concordia and Northwest Christian hosts Warner Pacific. The NCU-WPC game is scheduled to begin at 5:00 p.m. in Springfield, while the battle of two nationally-ranked teams kicks off one hour later in Portland.