Corban won in double overtime on Saturday over Northwest. (Photo Credit: Doug Pfeiler)
SALEM, Ore. – The No. 22-ranked Corban University men's soccer team won an absolute thriller on Saturday afternoon, coming from behind to defeat Northwest University in double overtime, 2-1. The Warriors move to 2-0 in Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) play with the triumph.
"Credit the Northwest coaching staff for a good game plan and their players for quality execution," said Corban head coach Aaron Lewis. "Our possession game today wasn't able to overcome their pressure until late in the match. I'm very proud of our guys for grinding through the moments where we weren't clean enough to ultimately find a way."
Corban racked up 32 shots on the evening, but Northwest made it difficult to score all match long. Camilo Avendano ripped a gorgeous free kick on frame early on, but Eagle goalkeeper Agazi Birkner made a stellar diving save to keep Corban off the board.
Northwest then took advantage of a corner-kick opportunity, as Titus Nickson rose above the Corban defense and headed in a cross from Trent Siedenburg to make it 1-0 in the 27th minute of play.
It would remain that way into the second half, but Corban came out flying and drew a penalty kick just minutes into that second stanza. Alex Segovia's shot went off the crossbar, however, keeping Corban off the board.
The Warriors would go on to hit the crossbar twice more in the second half, and it seemed as if the Eagles would hold on for the win. Corban provided the response, however, as in the 88th minute, Alan Cruz Ramirez played a long cross to the back post and found Julio Miranda who headed the ball back across goal to Segovia who buried his header to tie the match.
In the first overtime, Corban ripped off five shots, but could not score. Ultimately, in the second overtime, Kohl Hurtado got around the edge of the defense and put a ball into the mixer with a look on goal, and it eventually found its way into the net, ending the game with the golden goal.
Corban finished with the advantage in the shot count at 32-18, and 10 corner kicks to Northwest's three. For the Eagles, Nickson recorded a team-best six shots, while Noah Prophet provided four.
Hurtado led the way for the Navy and Gold with seven shots, and Segovia tallied six. Defensively for Northwest (1-2-1, 0-2-0 CCC), Birkner tallied 10 saves, while Jordan Salim notched five for the Warriors in goal.
Corban (5-1, 2-0 CCC) returns to the pitch next Friday when it hosts Carroll College. Kickoff is slated for 3:30 p.m. at the CFC Soccer Complex.