SALEM, Ore. – The Corban University men's soccer team had to wait a little over three days to find out its fate on whether or not it would be playing in the 2015 NAIA Men's Soccer National Championships, and on Monday morning, the wait proved to be worth it as the Warriors found out they had received an at-large bid and would be hosting Biola University (Calif.) in the NAIA Opening Round. For Corban, it is the first time in program history that the Warriors have hosted an NAIA Opening Round contest.
Game time on Saturday, November 21, is set for a 7:30 p.m. start and will be played over at Sparks Field on the campus of Willamette University across town in Salem.
Ticket prices will be as follows:
Adults & Ages 6 and up: $8
Children 5 years old and younger: Free
Non-Corban Students: $5 with I.D.
Corban Students: Free with I.D.
Corban Employees: Free with I.D.
The game will be live streamed via Warrior TV, so if you can't make it to the match, be sure to tune in online to watch!
Corban enters Saturday's NAIA Opening Round contest with a 17-2-1 overall record and was one of eight teams to be selected for an at-large berth. Of the at-large teams selected, Corban was the third-highest rated at-large program. The Warriors are playing in the NAIA Opening Round for the third-straight year with Head Coach Aaron Lewis at the helm, but this is the first time that Corban has ever hosted an Opening Round match. The Warriors have yet to win an Opening Round contest with a 0-2 overall record in such matches.
Corban is led by a stifling defense that boasts an NAIA-best goals-against-average of 0.36 and an NAIA-leading 14 shutouts. Sophomore goalkeeper Jordan Farr (Turner, Ore.) leads the way between the pipes, while the backline of senior defenders Tim Kagey (West Linn, Ore.), James Williamson (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho), Kellen Luey (Beaverton, Ore.), and junior defender Jacob Young (Gresham, Ore.) have all contributed to that effort. And while the backline has been stellar, it has been a total-team effort for the Warriors from front-to-back, and up top it has been junior forward Quamie Dinnall (May Pen, Jamaica) leading the charge with nine goals and an NAIA-leading 18 assists. In addition, freshman forward Nic Farr (Turner, Ore.) has found the back of the net on seven occasions, while junior midfielder Armando Guevara (Salem, Ore.) has scored on six occasions. As a team, Corban has scored 44 goals while surrendering just seven.
Biola is back in the NAIA Opening Round for the first time since 2011 after winning the Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC) Tournament Championship, securing an automatic berth via a 1-0 triumph over Vanguard in the Championship match on Saturday night. In the NAIA Opening Round, the Eagles are 0-5-3 in program history.
The Eagles come into Saturday's match with a 14-4-1 overall record after winning the conference regular-season title and conference tournament title. After starting the year with a 4-3 overall record, the Eagles won 10 of their final 12 matches en route to rising in the NAIA Coaches' Poll to No. 7 in the final regular-season edition. Biola did play Northwest University in its season-opener, defeating the Eagles by a score of 4-0.
Leading the way for the Eagles offensively on the year is Leonardo Contreras with 10 goals and seven assists. In addition, Joey O'Keefe has put home nine goals and seven assists, while John Hanscom has registered a six-goal and four-assist campaign. As a team, the Eagles have scored 45 goals. Defensively, Biola has been solid all year long with JT Addington providing the leadership in the back in goal with a 0.93 goals-against-average and allowing just 18 goals on the year.
In the final MRPI poll of the year, which determines who receives at-large berths, Corban was rated No. 13, while Biola came in at No. 18. For a complete look at the final MRPI, click here.
For a complete look at all 32 qualifiers, click here.
In the final NAIA Coaches' Poll, which factors into the MRPI, Biola was ranked ahead of the Warriors at No. 7, while Corban was at No. 17.
The Opening Round winners will advance to the national championship final site in Delray Beach, Fla. Action at the Seacrest Soccer Complex runs November 30 – December 5.
Become a fan of Corban Athletics on Facebook
Follow Corban Athletics on Twitter @CorbanAthletics
Follow Corban Athletics on Instagram: corban_athletics
Follow Corban Athletics on Snapchat: corbanathletics
Watch Corban Warrior videos on Youtube: CorbanUAthletics
Sign up for our Corban Warriors email Newsletter
#WarriorNation
