Cavs clinch top seed with 5-0 win over C of I
PORTLAND, Ore. – Timur Zhividze (Bobrov, Russia/Evergreen H.S.) scored two goals and assisted on a third as Concordia University men's soccer team clinched the No. 1 seed in the Cascade Collegiate Conference tournament with a 5-0 win over College of Idaho Saturday afternoon at Tuominen Yard.
The win not only gives Concordia the top seed in the CCC Tournament, but grants the Cavaliers the regular-season conference championship for the fourth time in the last five years.
Concordia (12-4-0, 11-2-0 CCC) consistently generated more offense and were more productive with their chances throughout the first half, resulting in the sequence that led to the opening goal.
In the 17th minute, College of Idaho (7-10-0, 4-9-0) failed to quickly clear a cross into the box that
Zak Naylor (Anchorage, Alaska/South Anchorage H.S.) blasted toward the goal, only to be denied by keeper John French. However,
William Mecier (Boise, Idaho/Centennial H.S.) was there on the rebound to give the Cavs a 1-0 lead that would stand for the remainder of the period. The shot was Mecier's second goal of the season.
With the top seed in the league tournament only one half away, Concordia came out firing after the break. The Cavaliers found multiple quality looks in the early moments of the period, putting heavy pressure on the Coyotes' back line. The attack mentality paid off with a free kick from just outside the box in the 52nd minute, which Zhividze calmly put in the upper right corner of the net for a 2-0 lead.
In the 62nd minute, Zhividze set up
B.J. Romac (Redding, Calif./Shasta H.S.) with a short cross from the right, allowing Romac to beat French from 15 yards out for a 3-0 edge. Just four minutes later it was Zhividze striking again, as he sped past his man, gathered a ball from Naylor in the box and poked it past the C of I keeper for a 4-0 margin.
College of Idaho was unable to quell the second-half onslaught, giving up another goal in the 73rd minute when
Corbyn May (Vancouver, B.C./Burnaby Central) delivered a swooping corner kick that
Ryan Morissey (Kirkland, Wash./Juanita H.S.) managed to pop over French on a soft header to the right side of the net.
It was the second matchup of the season between the two teams following CU's 7-4 victory on Sept. 23 in Caldwell, Idaho. The Cavaliers picked up where they left off in that game, tallying 26 shots (12 on goal) and the five goals. The Yotes finished with just five shots (one on goal) in the shutout.
The win gives Concordia 33 points in the CCC ledger with one match remaining. With 30 points, Northwest clinched the No. 2 seed in the playoffs but lose out on any possible tiebreakers as Concordia swept the two regular-season showdowns. With 25 points each, Evergreen State and Corban University have sewn up the final two tournament spots and will be playing for position next week.
Concordia finishes its regular season at 7 p.m. on Nov. 8 against Evergreen State, when the Cavaliers will honor seniors
Quinn Sinser (Bellevue, Wash./Eastside Catholic H.S.),
Sam Carmichael (Adelaide, Australia/Hallett Cove) and
Ken Bodzewski (Seattle, Wash./Ballard H.S.) before the match. Concordia will then host a CCC semifinal match on Nov. 11 (time TBA). C of I is also at home for its finale, on Nov. 4 versus Corban at 3 p.m. The Yotes have six seniors on the roster.