Corban scored two second-half goals in a 2-0 triumph over Carroll. (Photo Credit: Doug Pfeiler)
SALEM, Ore. – For the second-consecutive season, the No. 20-ranked Corban University men’s soccer team boasts an unblemished record after seven matches, including two wins in Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) action. On Saturday, it was two second-half goals that lifted the Warriors to the victory over Carroll College in a 2-0 shutout win over the Fighting Saints.
“I loved our team’s spirit this weekend,” said Corban head men’s soccer coach Aaron Lewis. “We’ve made big strides in the last two weeks in our play due to the players’ consistent approach. Getting four important goals from different guys is another indicator of the talent and depth this group has and we’re excited with the direction we’re headed.”
On a wet and rainy Saturday at Warrior Field, both sides were looking to register their second victory of the CCC-opening weekend of soccer, and despite a couple of good looks on both sides, neither team could find the breakthrough as both Carroll’s and Corban’s backlines and goalkeepers did a good job of shutting down the opposing team’s attack.
In the second stanza, it seemed similar to Friday’s contest in which the Warriors gained the early momentum and really went at the Fighting Saints’ defense. Opportunities were created, but the chances continued to miss for the Warriors.
The breakthrough finally came in the 63rd minute of play when senior forward Quamie Dinnall got around the left edge in the 18-yard box and then then slotted a pass back across the face of the goal. After a Carroll defender deflected it towards the top of the box, Warrior senior midfielder Armando Guevara came in and blasted a left-footed laser into the back of the net, putting Corban up 1-0.
Carroll provided a good response, and while playing on a wet field, created most of its chances through direct long-balls and free kicks sent into the box. Corban caught Carroll out on one of those chances, however, and Warrior senior forward Timur Zhividze played a perfectly weighted chipped pass over the top of the Saints’ defense, and running onto the ball was Corban junior forward Rolando Velazquez. Velazquez one-timed his shot out of mid-air and past the diving goalkeeper, doubling Corban’s lead in the process.
Carroll (3-4, 1-1 CCC) continued to press with the wind at its back over the final 10 minutes, but the Warrior defense held firm, securing the shutout in a two-goal triumph over the Saints.
Corban held the slight edge in shots on the afternoon, 15-14, while both teams tallied five corner-kicks. Zhividze led the way offensively for the Warriors with five shots, while for Carroll, it was Rodrigo Portillo with a game-high six shots.
With the shutout, it marks the third time Corban has not allowed a goal in a match during the 2016 campaign.
Corban (7-0, 2-0 CCC) returns to action next weekend when it heads south to take on Southern Oregon University and Oregon Tech on Friday and Saturday. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. on Friday and 2 p.m. on Saturday.