Freshman goalkeeper Arne Niermann recorded his second-straight shutout as the No. 25 Concordia men's soccer team handed Evergreen State their first conference loss of the season with a 2-0 decision on Tuesday.
Concordia Topples Evergreen in Battle of Unbeatens
BOX SCORE - Concordia vs. Evergreen State
PORTLAND, Ore.—For the second-straight match, the No. 25 Concordia men’s soccer team beat a team that was previously unbeaten in conference play, this time knocking off Evergreen State with a 2-0 decision on Tuesday.
With the win, Concordia (6-2-1, 5-0-0 CCC) becomes the only remaining unbeaten in the CCC this season, and stands three points ahead of the Geoducks (4-4-0, 4-1-0 CCC) and six points ahead of Northwest and Warner Pacific in the conference standings.
Concordia earned the win on Tuesday after fighting through a methodical early pace from the Geoducks.
The Geoducks slowed the pace of the match early on with lots of short passes that kept the ball away from the Cavaliers’ attacking players. The pace was a dramatic shift from the Cavs’ previous match—a 5-0 win over Northwest—and stymied the Cavaliers’ offense early on.
Concordia broke through in the 21st minute, however, when Sam Carmichael found the net to put the Cavs up 1-0. The Cavaliers got the scoring opportunity after the team played a long ball up to Septi Danciu on the deep right side of the box off of a restart. From there, Danciu sent a quick pass to Carmichael on the back post, where Carmichael finished the play from seven yards out.
The Geoducks did not panic after Carmichael’s goal though, maintaining their methodic pace and even finding room for a couple shots of their own.
The Geoducks had their best chance for an equalizer just five minutes after Carmichael’s goal when Jack Fortune put a shot on frame. Concordia goalkeeper Arne Niermann made the necessary save though, preserving the Cavs lead at 1-0.
Concordia picked up its own attack again after that, outshooting the Geoducks 3-0 for the rest of the first half.
The Cavaliers then rode that momentum to an early score in the second half to go up 2-0.
Gerrit Hamann finished the play for the Cavs this time, putting a ball in the net after it had been batted around in the box off of a deep throw-in.
Hamann’s score not only put the Cavs up 2-0, but also forced the Geoducks out of their slow pace as the team suddenly had to generate some offense in a hurry.
The Cavaliers did a nice job of limiting the Geoducks’ chances though, as the Geoducks only recorded two shots in the entire second half.
Concordia nearly made it 3-0 in the 70th minute too, when the Geoducks’ goalkeeper Collin Harlow ran way outside of the box to clear a ball on the right side of the field.
Harlow’s clearance went straight to Danciu just a few yards up on the same side of the field, however, leaving Danciu with an open net. Recognizing the situation, Danciu took advantage of the opportunity presented to him, launching a looping shot on frame from 35 yards out.
The ball appeared to be heading into the net, but the Geoducks’ Jeff Roland sprinted from way out of the box to the goal line and pushed the ball over the crossbar.
Roland’s hustle kept his team within reach at 2-0, though the Geoducks’ attack couldn’t answer with a goal of its own.
Overall, Concordia outshot the Geoducks 15-to-7, including a 7-to-2 advantage in shots on goal.
The Cavs’ Niermann saved both shots on goal against him in the match as the freshman recorded his second-straight shutout with his performance on Tuesday.
The Geoducks’ Harlow, meanwhile, made four saves for his team while playing all 90 minutes of the match in goal.
Next up, Concordia hosts cross-town rival Warner Pacific at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 29, while Evergreen State travels to its rival, Northwest, for a match on Saturday as well. Evergreen’s match against Northwest will start at 3:30 p.m.