Nathaniel Cheney (middle) scored the game-winner for Corban on Friday in the 2-1 win over C of I.
SALEM, Ore. – The No. 7-ranked Corban University men's soccer team may have given up its first goal of the 2015 campaign, but the Warriors responded after going down early to the College of Idaho on Friday, scoring two unanswered goals en route to a thrilling come-from-behind 2-1 triumph over the Yotes. For Corban, it is its 11th-straight win to open the 2015 campaign and sixth-straight triumph in Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) action.
"Today we were afforded the opportunity to display our team resolve," said Corban head men's soccer coach Aaron Lewis. "The response after allowing a goal was fantastic and builds confidence for us as we prepare for challenging tests ahead."
C of I (5-3, 4-3 CCC) went in front in the 17th minute, becoming the first team to find the net against the Warriors all year long. Mehmed Selimovic blasted a right-footed shot to the near post after a nice feed from Brandon Smith put him in on goal, putting the Yotes on top, 1-0.
Despite giving up the goal, however, Corban responded right away in the 19th minute with a goal of its own. Junior forward Quamie Dinnall (May Pen, Jamaica) received a pass high, and then after beating three C of I defenders, he hit a shot on goal, but Yote goalkeeper, Grant Billings, made the initial save deflecting Dinnall's shot towards the top of the 18-yard box. The ball fell right to the feet of the onrushing Warrior attacker, and freshman forward Nic Farr (Turner, Ore.) made no mistake, crushing a left-footed shot into the back of the net to tie the contest at 1-1.
Both teams continued to play free-flowing soccer for the remainder of the half, but neither team scored again, setting up what would be a very exciting second stanza.
In that second half, Corban finally found the game-winner in the 76th minute when Dinnall once again served as the playmaker, slotting the perfectly-weighted through ball to junior forward Nathaniel Cheney (Clarkston, Wash.), and Cheney took one touch around the goalkeeper before hitting a left-footed shot into the goal, putting Corban in front for the first time on the day. For Dinnall it was his 10th assist on the campaign.
From that point on, the Warriors stood tall in the back and played strong defensively, securing the one-goal victory over the Yotes.
In a very physical match that saw the Yotes commit 27 fouls and the Warriors commit 19, Corban outshot C of I, 15-9, en route to the triumph. Dinnall led the way for Corban with five shots, while for the Yotes, it was the goal-scorer Selimovic who registered a team-best five shots.
Billings finished the game with five saves, while Warrior sophomore goalkeeper Jordan Farr (Turner, Ore.) recorded two saves in the win.
Corban (11-0, 6-0 CCC) returns to action tomorrow in the NAIA Men's Soccer match of the week when it hosts No. 20 Rocky Mountain College at Warrior Field. Kickoff is set for 12 p.m. If you can't make it to the match, be sure to follow along via live stats and the live video broadcast.