SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The No. 18-ranked Corban University men's soccer team took down No. 15-ranked Westmont College on its home pitch on Thursday morning, earning a 2-1 triumph to advance to the championship of the NAIA Opening Round Santa Barbara bracket on Saturday.
Next up, the Navy and Gold will take on No. 1-ranked Central Methodist University, with the winner clinching a berth to the NAIA Championships Final Site in Columbia County, Ga.
"I'm really proud of our guys," said head coach Tim Kagey. "Westmont is a very quality team. We will prepare for the next one on Saturday."
Both teams struggled to garner an advantage early on in Thursday's match, as the two squads fought tooth and nail for an early lead.
After a relatively even start, it appeared as if the two teams would reach the midway point still deadlocked at zero, but Corban was able to grab some valuable momentum just before the end of the first half.
With 1:16 left to play in the first 45, Nate Sherwood sent in a corner kick, which was headed out by a Westmont defender to the feet of Tristan Erispe. Erispe fired a low, slicing grounder towards the far-right post, where fellow defender Carlos Llamosa flicked it past Westmont keeper Mans Ingvarson to give Corban a 1-0 lead in the 44th minute.
After the half, Westmont's Jona Romero and Memo Mendoza teamed up to help the hometown team equalize in the 54th minute. It was a brilliantly executed set piece, as Romero hooked a free kick towards the back post, and Mendoza lunged forward with the header to even the score.
Picking a perfect time for his first goal of the season, Yuki Onishi helped the Navy and Gold reclaim the lead in the 61st minute, finishing off a clinical counter attack from the squad. Onishi had subbed in just two minutes earlier, and it was Jose Peralta who delivered the final pass to him on the top-left side of the 18-yard box. Firing it in with his left foot, Onishi rifled a low grounder to the far-right corner of the net, putting Corban back in front.
CLICK HERE to watch the Warriors' two goals during Thursday's triumph.
Right at the end of the 82nd minute, Giancarlo Canas collected his second yellow card of the day, forcing the Navy and Gold to play down a man for the final eight minutes. Not long after, Westmont pulled its keeper from the net, searching frantically for an equalizer in the game's final minutes.
Westmont had a couple of opportunities develop, most notably a free-kick shot from Romero in the 83rd minute and a header by Owen Bates off a corner kick in the 88th minute. On both occasions, however, Keegan was up to the task, collecting a pair of clutch saves to help Corban hold on to victory. Between the pipes, Keegan ended up registering four saves in the match.
Corban (9-1-1) will now begin preparation for the NAIA's top-ranked team, Central Methodist. The Eagles are two-time defending NAIA National Champion and have not lost to an NAIA opponent since September 7, 2019.
The winner of Saturday afternoon's match will advance to the NAIA Championships Final Site in Columbia County, Ga. on May 4-10.
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