Bobby Hutchin scored twice in Corban's 3-0 win over NCU. (Photo Credit: JD Smith)
SALEM, Ore. – Warrior senior forward Bobby Hutchin scored twice on Saturday as the No. 14-ranked Corban University men's soccer team registered its fourth shutout victory of the 2016 campaign, defeating Northwest Christian University at Warrior Field, 3-0.
"The guys have made it a priority to make Warrior Field one of the most difficult places to play in the country, and I think that was reflected in their match today," said Corban head coach Aaron Lewis. "Our team defense was solid throughout the day, and heading into an important stretch, we are thrilled to be building on that."
For junior goalkeeper Jordan Farr, the shutout helped bring his goals-against-average down to 0.79 on the year, and he came up with some crucial saves in the process. Early on, it was NCU that had a great look at goal, but Farr sprawled to his left to make a full-stretch one-handed diving save, keeping the Beacons off the board. Farr finished the contest with four saves overall.
Corban took advantage of the great defensive effort that the entire backline of defense and Farr were putting in, and on a corner-kick, Corban would go in front. Junior midfielder Rolando Velazquez curled the 36th-minute corner to the back post, and senior midfielder Kemar Prince did well to one time a volleyball back across the face of goal. Hutchin was there waiting, and via a nifty back heel, he put his shot just over the goal line before NCU could clear, resulting in the goal.
After coming on a sub due to an injury right at the start of the second stanza, Hutchin found himself at the right place at the right time once again. Following a Velazquez ball that was played in behind the defense, the ball deflected off of an NCU defender and right into the path of Hutchin, and Hutchin made no mistake two yards from goal, burying his shot into the back of the net to put Corban up 2-0.
Corban had a number of opportunities to make it 3-0, but the third goal eventually came when senior forward Quamie Dinnall blocked a pass from an NCU defender, beat another Beacon player, and then ripped a left-footed laser into the right-side netting, putting the nail in the coffin on the convincing 3-0 triumph.
Despite the 3-0 defeat, NCU did have a golden chance in the second half off of a ball that wasn't cleared correctly. The goal was wide open, but the Beacon's shot wasn't on target, and Farr was ultimately able to collect before any damage was done.
Corban (9-1-0, 4-1-0 CCC) recorded 18 shots to 12 for NCU, and the Warriors also held the slight corner-kick edge, 4-3. Corban junior forward Timur Zhividze led the way offensively with six shots for the Warriors, while for NCU (5-4-1, 1-3-1 CCC), three different players notched a pair of shots in the defeat.
The Navy and Gold returns to action next week for a big road trip to College of Idaho and defending Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) regular season champion, Rocky Mountain College. Kickoffs on Friday and Sunday are set for 12 p.m. PST.