CLINTON, Iowa – The Corban University men's soccer team took on the No. 2 overall seed, Ashford University, in the 2014 NAIA Men's Soccer National Championship Opening Round on Saturday, and despite a valiant effort from the Warriors, Corban fell to the Saints, 4-1.  With the win, Ashford advances to the Championship site in Delray Beach, Fla.

"It's always disappointing when a season concludes," commented Corban head coach Aaron Lewis.  "With that said, we are extremely proud of our group of men for their effort and perseverance throughout this season." 

The game opened up with very back-and-forth fast paced play from the start, and the Warriors looked good on the attack going forward, almost connecting on a couple of opportunities early.  Saints goalkeeper Chris Higgins made a key save early on though, keeping Corban off the board.

Ashford then opened the scoring when Adam Wood got in behind the Corban defense after receiving a pass from Javier Ramirez, and he was able to slot his shot past Warrior senior goalkeeper Steven Mason (Santa Rosa, Calif.) to give the Saints the lead in the 18th minute.

Just a few minutes later in the 21st minute, Ashford got in behind the Warrior defense again and Ramirez scored to double the Saints' advantage.

Corban, however, switched the momentum back to its favor immediately when senior forward Arsinio Walker (Kingston, Jamaica) flicked a cross to the back post, and after senior forward Derik Chaney (Helena, Mont.) faked a shot and cut inside to his left foot, he buried his shot into the right-side netting, cutting the deficit in half in the 22nd minute.

Both sides registered some good opportunities throughout the remainder of the half, but the score remained as it was, 2-1, with Ashford in front at the break.  The shot count was even at intermission, 5-5, while both sides had also recorded two corner kicks during the first 45 minutes.

In the second half, Ashford (11-1-6) came out firing, scoring via a Ramirez header in the 51st minute to make it 3-1, and then Wood, the game's opening goal-scorer tallied his second of the contest in the 55th minute, sealing the triumph for the Saints.  Corban did try to muster a comeback, but Ashford's defense held strong, limiting Corban's second-half chances to just two shots.

For the match, the Saints outshot the Warriors, 12-7, while the corner-kick battle was even at 4-4.

Mason finished his final match with Corban with six saves while going the full 90 minutes.

Senior midfielder Josh Noonkester (Salem, Ore.) and Walker led the way for the Navy and Gold offensively with two shots apiece, while sophomore midfielder Quamie Dinnall (May Pen, Jamaica) and sophomore midfielder Nathaniel Cheney (Clarkston, Wash.) both notched one.  In addition, Chaney, the goal scorer for Corban, scored on his only shot of the afternoon.

The loss closes out the campaign for Corban as the Warriors finish the season with a 12-8-1 overall record and a CCC Tournament Championship to their name.  Head Coach Aaron Lewis now owns a 28-10-3 overall record after his first two years coaching back at his alma mater, while a number of different Warriors will have their names etched in the record books when all of the final statistics are tallied.

"This group of seniors met every situation with courage and class, and today was no different," commented Lewis.  "They helped create a culture and legacy behind them that I am confident will contribute towards providing more opportunities like this down the line."