CU's Ben Culpan scored his fourth goal and notched his fourth assist of the season on Friday night against OIT.
Cavs inch closer to top seed with 3-0 win over Oregon Tech
PORTLAND, Ore.—Maintaining its slim lead in the CCC standings, Concordia University defeated Oregon Tech 3-0 at Tuominen Yard on Friday night.
Concordia (11-4-0, 10-2-0 CCC) outshot its visitors 37-2 in the match but held just a 1-0 lead at the break following a
Ben Culpan (Auckland, New Zealand/Napier Boys H.S.) score in the 43rd minute.
In the 63rd minute,
Timur Zhividze (Bobrov, Russia/Evergreen H.S.) added to the CU lead with his 10th goal of the season while defender
Billy Fleury (Northampton, England/Southfield School) notched his first career goal in the 72nd minute to provide the final spread.
Taking the team's 22nd shot of the first half, Culpan finally hit pay dirt for the Cavs with a low strike on a rebound from a
Timur Zhividze (Bobrov, Russia/Evergreen H.S.).
Moving to the second half, Zhividze earned a goal of his own on a rebound play off a shot by
Sam Carmichael (Adelaide, Australia/Hallett Cove). With the ball punched out by Oregon Tech (2-14-0, 1-11-0 CCC) goalkeeper James Goheen,
Zak Naylor (Anchorage, Alaska/South Anchorage H.S.) corralled the ricocheted ball and turned to deliver a pass to Zhividze, who was waiting unmarked near the left post.
Following a subtle touch, Zhividze planted the ball into the far side of the net for the 2-0 Concordia lead.
Matching Zhividze's three points in the match, Culpan returned to assist the final goal with a free kick that found Fleury on the right post for a flying tap from five yards out.
In addition to the shot discrepancy, Concordia earned 15 corner kicks in the match, compared to just one for the Hustlin' Owls.
Mitch McCaw (Calgary, Alberta/Central Memorial H.S.) registered the win for Concordia with one credited save on a free kick by Grant Alexander in the 39th minute. Nearly giving the Owls a lead after the Cavs failed to capitalize on its early opportunities, Alexander delivered a laser shot from 40 yards out that would have found the upper right corner of the net if not for a tap above the bar from the CU keeper.
Goheen, meanwhile, made a dozen saves to keep the Owls in the mix for an upset win through the first hour of play.
Carrying a five-match winning streak, Concordia will return to action on Saturday afternoon by hosting College of Idaho. Opening kickoff against the Coyotes is set for 4 p.m. The Cavs close out the regular season at home against Evergreen State on Nov. 8.
With just the two matches remaining, Concordia holds a three-point over Northwest University and a five-point edge over Corban University. Having swept the regular-season series against Northwest, the Cavs can clinch the regular-season title and the top seed in the CCC Tournament with a win in either of its remaining matches.
Oregon Tech will continue its season at Warner Pacific on Saturday before closing out the year at home against Northwest Christian on Nov. 8.