SPOKANE, Wash. – After falling behind on the scoreboard early in their contest this afternoon, the Corban University Women's Soccer team escaped eastern Washington with a 2-1 victory over NCAA DIII Whitworth University as a true freshmen scored her second and third goals of the season to complete the road comeback.
"We played a physical Whitworth team and were faced with a lot of things that were out of our control," shared Warriors' head coach Travez Whyte. "But our ladies battled all the way until the end and controlled what we could. I'm super proud of how everyone responded today and learned from our last game to get the result we wanted. It's fun to see Maya's development that produced two quality goals for us. As always, thanks to all our traveling Warriors who are supporting us on this trip!"
A costly free kick opportunity that the Warriors (3-1-1) allowed to the Pirates (2-1-0) just 15 minutes into the contest resulted in an early goal for Whitworth, as midfielder Taliya Miyama found defender Cameron Kuolt in the back of the box for the one-touch score on their own home field.
After a corner kick cross that could have resulted in another Pirate goal, sophomore goalkeeper Ava Hayes ran to the edge of the box and blasted the ball up the middle of the field, where senior forward Alysia Alvarado was streaking one-on-one with a Whitworth defender. Alvarado and her opponent fought down the field for possession and would eventually get their legs tangled and see the ball fall into freshman forward Maya Alston's lap with only the Pirate goalkeeper left to beat. After a slight juke move to shake the keeper, Alston put the ball away to knot the contest at a goal apiece in the 30th minute.
Despite a 1-1 halftime score, the Navy and Gold were outshot 11-3 in the opening period, struggling to find an offensive presence against an organized Whitworth back third. Defensively for Corban, too many Pirate attackers worked their way through the middle of the field and ripped shots from well outside the box, most of which soared over Hayes' arms and out of play. Those that didn't secure shot attempts were more than likely fouled, as the Warriors committed six fouls and plenty of free shot opportunities for Whitworth compared to just four infractions for the home team.
After multiple opportunities for either squad, Alston struck again with her second goal of the game on a long pass up the middle of the field by senior defender Emilly Olvera, giving Alston a one-on-one with the Pirates' keeper once again and utilizing a quick touch over the goalie's head to put the Warriors ahead 2-1 on the road, which eventually stand to be the game-winner as well.
The Pirates would eventually tee off for 30 total team shots, yet only seven were on goal and Hayes scooped up six saves to secure the road victory after the remaining twenty minutes of gametime ticked off the clock. Pirates' goalkeeper Anna Boyer played a complete 90 minutes between the posts and secured four saves yet allowed both scores by Alston to accept her first loss of the season.
Alston led the Warriors with three shots in total, giving her a .667 conversion rate on the day after scoring twice for her first collegiate brace. Forward Yacine Bitibale had a game-high ten shots for Whitworth, yet only one of those was close enough to be considered on goal. Pirates' forward Kylee Russell was 3-for-3 on shots, yet all three were scooped up by Hayes.
The Warriors final non-conference tune-up prior to conference play beginning next week will take place tomorrow in Walla Walla, Washington against NCAA DIII Whitman College (2-1-0).
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