Owls Fly Past Beacons in CCC Home Opener
KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. – For the first time in School history the Oregon Tech Men’s Soccer Team improved to 3-0 in Cascade Conference play with a 4-0 win over Northwest Christian at the new OIT Soccer Field Friday afternoon. Oregon Tech’s Brennan Gazdik scored two goals in the first five minutes of the game and the Owls added two second half goals for the convincing win to improve to 6-1-1 on the year also the best start in school history. Northwest Christian falls to 1-2 in CCC play and 5-3 on the year with the loss.
The Owls were off to a flying start as freshman center midfielder, Brennan Gazdik would score a brace in the first 5 minutes of the contest. An early attack down the right sideline left forward Daniel Blessinger in a 1-on-1 opportunity against the NCU outside back. Blessinger, creating enough space to get a low driven cross off, picked out Gazdik inside the 18 box where he gathered the ball and slotted the game winning shot to the lower left side of the goal past the outstretched NCU goalkeeper, Yayo Olvera.
Two minutes later, the Owls would repeat a similar attack down the left flank. Forward Lodewijk Bloemzaad was able to create enough space between him and his defender to send a long cross to the far side of the 18 box where Trinidad Flores was waiting. Flores recognizing he did not have the angle on goal, sent the ball back across the goal mouth, where Gazdik was able to slot the ball again past the NCU goalkeeper.
NCU and Oregon Tech would battle back and forth for the next 40 minutes heading into half time with the score 2-0. NCU would come out of the half time break a revitalized team, putting Oregon Tech’s backline under significate pressure. Tech, having to work a little harder to win the ball back and handle the NCU intensity, was able to find some relief in a long ball that Flores would battle to win near the NCU 18 box. As an NCU defender poked the ball away from Flores, it fell in the line of Bloemzaad sprinting into the 18. As two NCU defenders closed in on the ball, Bloemzaad was able to get his touch past the defenders while drawing contact in the box, earning a penalty kick for the Owls. Blessinger would set up and slot home the spot kick for the third goal of the afternoon.
The play would continue back and forth, with both teams finding shooting opportunities, but neither side could find the frame until the 82nd minute. Former Medford HS teammates, Leonardo Alonzo would find Austin Schoenmann on a nice little slip pass through the NCU back line. With the goalkeeper, Olvera, closing the attacker, Schoenmann would fake a shot freezing the keeper and knocking a pass to the open right side of the goal for the fourth score of the night.
The Oregon Tech defense picks up their third straight shutout victory, credited to goalkeeper Dino Rozac. The Oregon Tech men will host nationally ranked No.11 Corban University tomorrow, Saturday, September 24, at 2:00p on the Oregon Tech Soccer Field followed by the women’s game at 4:30pm. Northwest Christian will play at southern Oregon in Ashland Saturday afternoon.