Arsinio Walker led Corban to its fifth-straight win with two goals on Friday afternoon. (Photo Credit: Sheldon Traver)
SALEM, Ore. – Senior forward Arsinio Walker (Kingston, Jamaica) scored two goals in the first half on Friday afternoon for the Warriors, leading the Corban University men’s soccer team past The College of Idaho in a Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) triumph, 2-0. For the Warriors, it was their fifth-straight shutout victory, and second-consecutive 2-0 win in conference play.
The victory catapults Corban (7-3-1, 5-1-1 CCC) into sole possession of first place in the CCC standings with 16 points. The Warriors currently sit one point ahead of Concordia University and Northwest University who both have 15 points. After losing and tying its first two conference contests, the Warriors have now rattled off five wins in five games with a 13-0 goal advantage during that span.
The College of Idaho registered the first good opportunity of the game when Joseph Bolin hit a shot towards goal, but Warrior senior goalkeeper Steven Mason (Santa Rosa, Calif.) was there to make the save. Not long after in the ninth minute of play, Corban junior defender James Williamson (Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho) heaved a long throw-in into the box, and Walker rose above the Yotes’ defenders, flicking his header to the back post and into the back of the net to give the Warriors the early 1-0 advantage. For Williamson, it was his first assist on the year.
Walker then doubled Corban’s advantage in the 28th minute, putting the Warriors in full command of the contest. On the goal, senior midfielder Josh Noonkester (Salem, Ore.) played a chipped pass forward to sophomore midfielder Nathaniel Cheney (Clarkson, Wash.), and Cheney did well to get a touch on the ball and drop it to Walker on top of the 18-yard box. Walker then took one touch and curled the ball with his left foot into the top-left corner of the goal, tallying his team-leading ninth goal of the season.
By halftime, the score remained in the Warriors’ favor, 2-0. Corban held a significant shot advantage at the break, 11-1, while also racking up five corner kicks to none for the Yotes.
In the second stanza, it became a very back and forth match, with both sides getting in behind the opposing teams’ defenses. Corban came close to making it 3-0 at one point early on in the second half, but Cheney’s header went over the crossbar.
The Yotes made it interesting late in regulation, as both Nate Hunt and Bolin got behind the Warrior defense and had one-on-one opportunities against Mason in goal for Corban, but Hunt’s shot went over the crossbar and Bolin’s shot was shanked and went well wide of the goal, keeping the Navy and Gold in front by two scores.
That is how the CCC match would end, with the Warriors holding on for their fifth-consecutive shutout and fifth-straight conference win. For the match, Corban held the shot advantage, 17-7, and the corner-kick edge, 8-2.
Walker led the way with four shots for Corban, while Noonkester, sophomore defender Tim Kagey (West Linn, Ore.), and sophomore midfielder Quamie Dinnall (May Pen, Jamaica) all registered three shots.
Mason earned his fifth-straight shutout and seventh overall for the season in the victory, making one save in the process.
After the match, Walker talked about his goals and the team's performance in a post-match interview.
“When we are playing well, it starts with our defense,” commented head coach Aaron Lewis. “We established ourselves early in that area and chances came from it.”
Corban returns to the field tomorrow when it hosts Oregon Tech (2-9-0, 1-6-0 CCC) at Warrior Field at 1 p.m. If you can’t make it to the match, be sure to follow the game via the live stats, live video, and live audio play-by-play online on Warrior TV!