Balmer's Hat Trick Lifts Geoducks Past Saints
Mitchell Balmer scored Evergreen's third hat trick in as many weeks on Saturday to lead the Geoducks to a 3-1 Cascade Collegiate Conference men's soccer victory over the visiting Carroll College Saints at Black Hills High School.
Balmer added his three-goal game to hat tricks from Emilio Meraz-Rodriguez against Walla Walla on Oct. 5 and Oregon Tech on Oct. 12.
The junior forward gave the Geoducks (8-3-3 overall, 5-3-3 CCC) a 2-0 halftime lead, and after the Saints (6-6-1, 5-5-1) made in interesting late on a Leo Georgiades goal, he scored an insurance goal in the 85th minute.
Carroll was on the front foot for most of the first half, putting pressure on the Evergreen defense and goalkeeper Ben Stevenson, one of eight Geoducks playing their final home match. The hosts were up to the task, keeping the Saints at bay until Balmer, who entered as a substitute, opened the scoring at 38:06, finishing past Carroll keeper August Baker. The assist went to Emilio Meraz-Rodriguez, his 10th of the season.
Balmer gave Evergreen its two-goal cushion at the intermission, finishing a play started when K'gnausa Yodkerepauprai won a long ball, flicking a header into the right corner for Meraz-Rodriguez. His cross was punched away by Baker, but the ball fell at the feet of Balmer and he made no mistake.
Carroll's late pressure resulted in a 2-1 score and created some tension in the home stands. The goal was worked by two of the three Georgiades brothers with Leo scoring on a header from Paulo's cross.
That led to Balmer's deciding goal, which came on a breakaway after he received a pass from Esau Vazquez.
Carroll actually owned a 17-14 advantage in shots, though Evergreen was more accurate with a 5-4 edge in shots on goal. Stevenson recorded three saves, including a brilliant diving stop to his right with about 21 minutes to play, while Baker was credited with two stops. Corner kicks favored the visitors, 3-1.
Evergreen celebrated the accomplishments of its seniors prior to the match. That group includes Stevenson, Vazquez, Meraz-Rodriguez, Marcos Borja, Christian Segovia, Juan Lopez, Alvaro Licea and Philip Gyamfi.
The win pushes the Geoducks into sixth place in the conference standings with 18 points, two ahead of Oregon Tech. Evergreen closes the regular season next week with its longest road trip of the season, facing Rocky Mountain in Billings, Mont., on Friday and College of Idaho in Caldwell, Idaho on Sunday.