Corban Gets Two in Second Half to Beat Evergreen
TUMWATER - Josh Escobar and Quamie Dinnall scored goals in the second half to lead the visiting Corban Warriors to a 2-0 win over The Evergreen State College in a Cascade Collegiate Conference men's soccer match played on a chilly Friday night at Tumwater High School.
The match was moved to Tumwater after the Evergreen field was deemed unplayable after heavy early morning rains.
The defeat drops Evergreen (12-3-1 overall, 9-3-1 CCC) into fourth place in the final conference standings and gives the Geoducks a first-round contest against fifth-place Carroll College in the conference postseason tournament slated for Nov. 11, 12 and 14 in Springfield, Ore. Carroll defeated the Geoducks, 2-0, in a match played Oct. 16 in Helena, Mont.
No. 15-ranked Corban (16-2-0 overall, 11-2-0), meanwhile, wrapped up second place in the conference standings behind regular season champion Rocky Mountain and as a result will face seventh-place Northwest University in another CCC first-round tournament game.
The first half of tonight's match was a tightly contested affair with neither team getting much of a look at goal. In fact, the Geoducks managed just two shots through the opening 45 minutes, but that was one more than the Warriors mustered. Evergreen may have had the best chance of the opening period in the 40th minute when forward Tanner Williams beat a defender to the ball and was knocked off his feet by Corban goalkeeper Jordan Farr, who came out to challenge on the play. Farr picked up a yellow card, but the Geoducks were unable to capitalize when Nate Boatright's shot was blocked by the wall.
Corban finally broke through in the 52nd minute when Armando Guevara threaded a pass through the Evergreen defense to Josh Escobar, racing down the right side channel. Escobar made not mistake, beating Evergreen keeper Angel Guerra to the far side for his second goal of the season.
As the Geoducks continued to press forward for the tying goal, the Warriors broke through for the second score of the contest. Dinnall, the team's leading scorer now with seven goals and 17 assists, was the benificiary of a through ball by MyKenze Caswell, and his left-footed effort beat Guerra to the far side. Corban had another goal-bound effort blocked by the Evergreen defense near the goal line.
While the Geoducks were able to get some pressure on Farr, the Corban keeper ended up with two saves and his conference-leading 12th shutout of the season.
The Warriors took nine shots to six for the Geoducks and they also had two corner kicks to one for the hosts.
Evergreen seniors honored prior to the game were Nate Boatright, Justin La Torre, Willie Spurr, Ezrah Bartone and Guerra.