SALEM, Ore. – In its 2021 home opener, Corban University's women's soccer team came from behind to defeat the Hustlin' Owls of Oregon Institute of Technology, 3-2, in Cascade Collegiate Conference action Sunday afternoon at the CFC Soccer Complex.
"Great result today," said interim head coach
Tim Kagey. "We showed we have a lot of grit. We are looking forward to the rematch tomorrow."
With the win, Corban improves to 3-1 overall, 3-0 in Cascade Collegiate Conference play. Meanwhile, Oregon Tech drops its first game of the young season falling to 4-1 overall, 2-1 in conference action.
The Navy and Gold fell behind early when OIT's Maddie Miller converted on a penalty kick in the third minute. A Corban defender was whistled for a foul inside the penalty box, which allowed Miller to step up to the circle and calmly deposited her shot into the back of the net for an early 1-0 lead for the visiting Owls.
A little under 30 minutes later, Corban knotted things at 1-all on a goal by Skyla Vogelpohl. On a corner kick for the Navy and Gold, Jamine Biava placed a beautiful pass into the box finding Vogelpohl's head en route to netting her second goal of the season to even the match in the 33
rd minute.
Neither team would score again in the first half, as Oregon Tech outshot Corban, 6-4, over the opening 45 minutes of play.
Wasting little time coming out of halftime, Corban quickly took the lead when Juliana Pires netted her first of two goals on the afternoon a mere 45 seconds into the final period. Pires took the ball down the far sideline, cut back toward the center, and unleashed a shot that caught a bit of OIT's keeper before trickling beyond the goal line for her fourth goal of the season.
In the 73
rd minute, Pires would net her second goal of the day and team-leading fifth of the season via an assist from Moe Sato. Pires' goal would turn out to be the eventual game-winner, as Corban went ahead 3-1 with a little over 16 minutes remaining the game.
Less than seven minutes later, Oregon Tech would cut the Navy and Gold's lead in half when Mehana Ortiz scored the Owls' second goal of the day. Ortiz's goal would come off an assist by Miller in the 81
st minute.
Needing to net the game-tying goal, Oregon Tech would put pressure on the Warriors' defense with the Owls collecting three straight corner kicks over a span of 99 seconds. Fortunately for Corban, OIT was unable to find the back of the net despite face back-to-back-to-back shots from the Owls.
Over the final three-plus minutes, Corban would apply the pressure and force Oregon Tech to back track en route to earning the hard-fought victory that also extended the Warriors' winning streak to three matches.
Corban's goalkeeper Devan Archer recorded a game-high four saves in between the pipes for the Warriors, while Oregon Tech's Sydni Nakamura did not register a save despite facing nine shots.
These same two teams will square off again tomorrow – Monday, March 15 – when Corban and Oregon Tech return to the pitch for a scheduled 12:30 p.m. kick off at the CFC Soccer Complex.