SPRINGFIELD, Ore. – The historic run continues for the No. 14-ranked Corban University men's soccer team, which claimed the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) Tournament Championship, presented by U.S. Bank, with a 2-1 triumph over Eastern Oregon University on Friday afternoon.
It's the fifth CCC Tournament title in program history, and the first time since 2013 that the program has earned an outright sweep of both the conference regular-season and tournament championships.
"I am very proud of this group," said head coach Tim Kagey. "They deserve all of the credit for these results. Go Warriors!"
The No. 5-seeded Mountaineers were red-hot entering Friday's championship battle, having closed out the regular season on a five-game win streak, advancing via penalty kicks in both its quarterfinal contest against No. 4-seeded Oregon Tech and semifinal tilt with No. 3-seeded Southern Oregon.
Charles Cleyton provided all the scoring for the Navy and Gold in the victory, striking for his eighth and ninth goals of the season.
The All-Conference Honorable-Mention got the scoring started in the 20th minute, beating Eastern Oregon goalkeeper Max Rose with a low strike to the bottom right corner of the net. Yuki Onishi's well-placed through ball provided the assist on the goal.
The junior from Cuiabá, Brazil then capped off his brace with another goal in the 62nd minute, sneaking one past both Rose and his brother Jack Rose to provide the Warriors with valuable insurance.
It didn't take long for Eastern Oregon to issue a response, with Felipe Madero halving the deficit less than three minutes later (65').
The goal energized the Mountaineers, sparking a revitalized attack in search of an equalizer. Just a minute after his first goal, Madero had an opportunity to push the score even. With just Corban's Justin Keegan to beat, he rifled a shot from close range. Keegan nimbly sprawled to his right to deny Madero, however, preserving the lead with a crucial save.
The Second-Team All-Conference award-winner was exceptional in goal for the Navy and Gold, accruing five saves in the triumph. In addition, the rookie came off his line on multiple occasions to stifle Mountaineer opportunities, pulling down a number of promising crosses and set pieces.
Despite the defeat, the Mountaineers have still earned the CCC's second automatic berth to the NAIA National Tournament.
The conference tournament title is yet another impressive accomplishment in the Warriors' magical 2019 season, who remain unbeaten on the year (17-0-2).
Corban's journey will continue with the NAIA National Tournament, which will kick off with the NAIA Opening Round on November 22-23. The Warriors will await word on where and who they will be playing, with the complete national tournament field being announced on Monday (November 18) at 12 p.m. CST.
Eastern Oregon receives the leagues second automatic qualification the the NAIA National Tournament as a result of facing CCC regualr season champion Corban in the finals. The Mountaineers will learn their opening round destination on Monday.