SPRINGFIELD, Ore. – The 12th-ranked Corban University men's soccer team played in one of the most thrilling back and forth matches of the year on Thursday evening in the Cascade Collegiate Conference semifinals, and despite going all the way through two overtimes and a penalty-kick shootout against the University of Great Falls, the Warriors came up short in penalty kicks, resulting in their elimination from the Tournament. The match ended in a 2-2 tie, and the Argos advanced to the CCC Tournament Championship match via an 8-7 penalty-kick shootout triumph.
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By advancing to the Tournament Championship and top-seeded Rocky Mountain College advancing out of the other semifinal via penalty kicks over Evergreen, Great Fall receives the second automatic berth from the CCC to the NAIA National Championships.
Corban, now with a 17-2-1 overall record (Thursday's semifinal match officially a tie) on the year, must await the announcement from the NAIA on Monday of the full field of 32 teams earning spots in the 2015 NAIA National Championships. The official qualifiers and pairings announcement will be streamed live on Monday, November 16, at 10 a.m. PST at www.NAIANetwork.com.
"I loved the spirit of our team during a game that was as intense as I can remember being involved in," said Corban head men's soccer coach Aaron Lewis. "I think going through this experience has a chance to prepare us to an even greater level for what we hope to face in the coming week."
While playing through a very competitive first half, Warrior sophomore goalkeeper Jordan Farr (Turner, Ore.) made a fantastic save to keep the Argos off the board and send the game into halftime scoreless. In the second half, Great Falls jumped in front in the 50th minute, but Corban bounced back and rallied late in the contest when junior forward Quamie Dinnall (May Pen, Jamaica) blasted a left-footed shot past the goalkeeper from the top of the box, tying the contest at 1-1 in the 78th minute.
UGF responded right away, however, scoring on the next transition down the field 31 seconds later to nab the 2-1 lead.
Not to be outdone, Warrior sophomore midfielder Travez Whyte (Kingston, Jamaica) laced a left-footed shot into the back of the net in the 80th minute, sending the Warrior crowd into a frenzy as the game was tied once again.
Level at the end of regulation, the match headed to golden-goal overtime periods, and the Warrior defense came up with a clutch game-saving tackle just as it looked as if UGF was ready to win it, but with that save, the Warriors and Argos headed to the penalty-kick shootout, knowing the winner would advance to the championship game.
After taking a 3-1 lead after the first three shooters, Corban looked primed and ready to win the shootout, but a missed shot and saved shot to go along with two Argo makes on the final two penalty kicks sent the shootout into sudden-death. The Warriors had another chance to win it, but the chance was saved, and ultimately by the 11th kicker, the results did not go in Corban's favor, resulting in UGF advancing to the championship.
For the match, Corban outshot Great Falls, 18-12, with junior midfielder Kemar Prince (Kingston, Jamaica) leading the way with seven shots and Dinnall totaling four.
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