Cavs-Yotes Battle to 1-1 Draw
BOX SCORE - Concordia vs. The College of Idaho
PORTLAND, Ore.—The No. 17 Concordia men’s soccer team tied The College of Idaho 1-1 on Saturday, despite outshooting the Yotes 31-6 in the match.
“The guys played with a lot of initiative and their hunger produced a lot of really good chances,” said CU head coach Dan Birkey. “You play 18-20 games in a season and there will be nights where the doors just seem to be closed.
“C of I’s keeper was the man of the match. The Yotes came with a mindset to get a respectable result with this road trip and tonight was a battle of two teams who worked hard out there.”
The tie puts the Cavs 11-2-2 overall this season and 10-0-1 in the CCC, while the Yotes move to 6-7-2 overall and 5-4-2 in conference.
Despite not being able to get the decisive score in the match, the Cavaliers gave themselves plenty of chances as they outshot the Yotes 19-2 after halftime.
The Cavaliers were particularly dominant in the second half when they found room for 13 shots, six of which were on goal.
The College of Idaho’s goalkeeper Colin Benham-Marin collected saves on five of Concordia’s shots in the second half, including one save on a penalty kick in the 69th minute of the match. Concordia’s Septi Danciu, who had been 4-for-4 on penalty kicks entering the match, took it for the Cavaliers and put it on frame and in a good spot. Unfortunately for the Cavs, Benham-Marin dove the right way to save the shot and keep the match tied at 1-1.
The Cavaliers kept attacking after the penalty kick though, earning six more shots before the end of regulation, two of which were on goal. Tanner French created a couple of the Cavs’ late opportunities as he repeatedly sprinted down the flank and sent balls into the box for potential scores. French also had one of the Cavaliers’ two shots on goal in the first overtime, but still nothing found its way in.
The match then entered the second overtime period when C of I’s Benham-Marin saved two more shots to lead his team to the tie.
Concordia opened the scoring in the match when the Cavs’ Matt Eronemo sent a cross into the box that The College of Idaho defense misplayed for an own goal.
The Cavaliers put up 10 more shots after the goal, but the Yotes would find the net next as Michael Meyer leveled the match with a goal in the 45th minute. Meyer got the ball on the play after the Cavalier defense failed to clear a ball out of its own box. Meyer found the ball from eight yards out and put a quick shot up into the right side of the net.
Meyer’s goal squared the match at 1-1, which, despite Concordia’s barrage of shots after the goal, is where the match would stay.
Even with the tie, Concordia still clinched at least the No. 2 seed in the CCC Tournament, which means the Cavs will host at least one match in the playoffs this season.
That will give Concordia’s four seniors at least one more chance to play in Tuominen Yard, since the match on Saturday was the Cavaliers’ last home match of the regular season. With that in mind, the Cavaliers honored their four seniors—Jared Brace, Nick Cook, Cole Dahle and Matt Eronemo—before the start of Saturday’s match.
“You always want to graduate guys with class,” said Birkey. “These guys have worked through all the ins and outs of being a college athlete. Those are four quality guys from quality families.”
Next up, the Cavaliers travel to Northwest for a match at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 24. The Yotes, meanwhile, also play their next match on the 24th when they host Northwest Christian at 1 p.m.