SALEM, Ore. – An early goal from Noah Dreves and a late score from Giacomo Sanvitale powered the No. 20-ranked Corban University men's soccer team to a 2-1 victory in Saturday afternoon's season opener against crosstown rival Willamette University.
"It was a decent result today," said director of soccer Tim Kagey. "Willamette is a quality side and showed us that there are still areas as a team that we need to address as a staff. It is always nice to start the year off with a win, though."
Corban controlled the pace early, creating a number of chances in the first half. A trio of those opportunities came from Nate Sherwood, who fired off three promising shots in the span of just seven minutes, narrowly missing a goal on each occasion.
It felt as if it was only a matter of time before the Navy and Gold broke through, which finally happened in the 23rd minute.
Dreves collected a well-placed pass from Alvaro Arche and weaved his way to the end line. From five yards out, Dreves hooked a shot with his left foot that ricocheted off Willamette goalkeeper Pierluca Carnovale and into the back of the net for Corban's first goal of the season.
That is where the score would stay until the 87th minute, when Sanvitale opened his Corban account with a valuable insurance goal. Matheus Giron assisted the game-winner, which all came from a pivotal defensive takeaway from Arche at the center line.
Willamette halved the deficit in the waning moments thanks to a 90th-minute goal from Pierce Galloway, but it would prove to be too little, too late as the Navy and Gold earned capital-city bragging rights.
Justin Keegan tallied a pair of saves in net for the Warriors, earning his first victory of the season.
Corban (1-0) will return to the pitch in a week, traveling to Baldwin City, Kan. for a matchup against Baker University on September 4. Just a couple of days later, the Navy and Gold will face off with No. 2-ranked Oklahoma Wesleyan University in a premiere matchup of NAIA Top-25 squads.
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