SALEM, Ore. – The 10th-ranked Corban University men's soccer team racked up 31 total shots on Friday afternoon vs. Walla Walla University and scored four of them, winning comfortably vs. Walla Walla University in a 4-0 triumph. For Corban, it is its 12th win overall on the year and seventh in Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) play.
Click 'Play Button' on photo above to watch video highlights from the win.
"I believe the lengthy stretches of possession throughout the day paid dividends throughout the second half," said head coach Aaron Lewis. "Creating 31 shots is always a positive takeaway in a match, but increasing the percentage of those shots on goal will need to be a point of emphasis for tomorrow."
Corban started on the front foot and generated a number of opportunities right away in the early moments of the contest. Warrior senior defender James Williamson (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) put Corban in front in the sixth minute when he rose above the Wolves' defense and headed home a cross from junior defender Quamie Dinnall (May Pen, Jamaica). For Williamson, it was his first goal of the 2015 campaign.
The Walla Walla (0-9, 0-9 CCC) defense held strong for the remainder of the first stanza, however, keeping Corban from putting any more on the scoreboard. Corban did outshoot the Wolves 16-0 in those first 45 minutes, but the Warriors were only able to capitalize on the one goal.
In the second half, Corban needed sophomore goalkeeper Jordan Farr (Turner, Ore.) to step up when called upon and make a big save, and he did just that, stonewalling a Wolves attacker in a one-on-one situation.
Not long after, the Navy and Gold made Walla Walla pay when Dinnall got around the edge and played a centering pass to junior forward Nathaniel Cheney (Clarkston, Wash.), and Cheney made no mistake, one-timing his left-footed shot past the goalkeeper and into the goal to double Corban's lead. For Cheney, it was his team-leading seventh goal of the year.
Corban made it 3-0 in the 70th minute when Dinnall found freshman midfielder Josh Escobar (Eugene, Ore.) at the top of the 18-yard box, and he buried a right-footed low-liner into the left-side netting for his first-career goal while donning the Navy and Gold. For Dinnall, it was his third assist of the match.
The Warriors made it 4-0 just a minute later when Cheney connected with junior forward Bobby Hutchin (Vancouver, Wash.) on a nifty combination, and Hutchin scored from a very acute angle on the right side, sealing the deal for Corban.
After that, a number of players saw action for Corban during the remaining 15 minutes, and it was a total team effort as everyone closed out the win and earned another shutout for Corban. Farr collected his 10th shutout of the campaign, making two big saves in the process.
"I enjoyed seeing some of the young guys contribute towards the play that created momentum in the second half, and help maintain our defensive stability," said Lewis.
For the game, Corban outshot Walla Walla, 31-3, while also racking up a 14-0 corner-kick edge over the Wolves.
Following the match, Williamson talked about the triumph in a post-game interview:
The Warriors (12-1, 7-1 CCC) host Multnomah University tomorrow at Warrior Field at 3 p.m. Prior to the start of the match, Corban will honor its four seniors on Senior Day in a pregame ceremony. If you can't make it to the match, be sure to follow along via live stats and the live video broadcast.
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