OLYMPIA, Wash. - The No. 15 Corban University men's soccer team overcame a number of factors on Saturday in Washington, ultimately defeating The Evergreen State Geoducks by a score of 2-0 to secure the No. 2 seed in the upcoming Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) Tournament. With the win over the Geoducks, a team that was receiving votes in the NAIA National Top-25 Poll, the Warriors finish with a 16-2 overall record and 11-2 mark in CCC action during the 2015 regular season.
"I am supremely proud of the performances of this group over the weekend," said Corban head coach Aaron Lewis. "These contests, on the road, were among the most difficult of our year, and to get the results we needed gives us a ton of confidence heading into the postseason."
In a match that was originally scheduled to be played on campus at Evergreen (12-3-1, 9-3-1 CCC) at 12 p.m., heavy rain and a field that had standing water on it caused the game to be moved to Tumwater High School at 6 p.m. The rain had subsided for a bit as the match began in the evening, but then as the first half started, the torrential downpours starting coming down once again, challenging both teams to play at their very best.
After a scoreless first half that did not see either team generate too many quality looks at goal, the two sides returned to the pitch for what would be an exciting and well-played second-half of soccer.
Corban struck first on a beautiful play in which junior midfielder Armando Guevara (Salem, Ore.) slipped a through ball in behind the Geoducks' defense, and freshman midfielder Josh Escobar (Eugene, Ore.) timed his run to perfection in the 52nd minute, receiving the pass, taking a touch, and then finishing with class to the bottom-left corner of the goal to put Corban in front. For Escobar, it was his second-career goal while donning the Navy and Gold.
Not long after, junior midfielder Kemar Prince (Kingston, Jamaica) blasted a dipping free kick on frame, forcing the Evergreen goalkeeper to make a diving to prevent a top-notch goal.
The Warriors eventually made it 2-0 in the 75th minute when junior midfielder Mykenze Caswell (Eugene, Ore.) threaded the needle with a dynamite through ball that found junior forward Quamie Dinnall (May Pen, Jamaica), and after a couple of touches, Dinnall blasted a left-footed laser to the right-side netting, sealing two-goal triumph for Corban.
For the match, Corban registered a 9-6 shots advantage while also holding the slight corner-kick edge, 2-1.
For the Warriors, it was the team's 13th shutout of the 2015 campaign, setting a new school record for shutouts in a season. Sophomore goalkeeper Jordan Farr (Turner, Ore.) recorded two saves in the shutout victory.
Season Stats
Following the match, Escobar talked about the win in a post-game interview:
As the No. 2 seed for the CCC Tournament, Corban is set to play No. 7-seeded Northwest University in a quarterfinal match on November 11 at Willamalane in Springfield, Ore. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. For a complete look at the CCC Tournament qualifying information, click here.
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
