SALEM, Ore. – Thanks to three second-half scores, the No. 15-ranked Corban University men's soccer team surged past Warner Pacific College on Saturday evening in a 3-0 triumph over the Knights. The win clinches Corban's spot in the 2016 Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) Tournament, and it also keeps the Warriors' chances alive for the regular-season CCC Championship.
Click the 'Play Button' on the photo above for video highlights of Corban's goals.
CCC Standings
"Warner did a good job of staying compact in the first half limiting our chances on goal," said Corban head coach Aaron Lewis. "After Timur's first goal, however, they had to extend a little more and we found larger spaces behind them."
Junior forward Timur Zhividze stayed hot for the Warriors, scoring his CCC-leading 10th and 11th goals during CCC play in the second half on Saturday night. On the year, he now has 18 total goals.
His first goal came in the 59th minute, and it proved to be the game-winner when he broke the deadlock after junior defender Langdon Roscoe played a ball over the top to Zhividze, and Zhividze was able to head the ball past the goalkeeper and bury a left-footed shot into the top-left corner.
Senior forward Bobby Hutchin then scored a wonder goal for the Warriors in the 75th minute to make it 2-0. After receiving a pass down the left side, he took a touch to beat the Knights' defense, and then curled a right-footed beauty into the top-right corner of the goal, giving Corban some breathing room.
Zhividze then made it 3-0 in the 84th, putting the nail in the coffin when he slotted home a right-footed shot after a well-worked offensive passing sequence.
Corban totaled 12 shots on the night to Warner Pacific's 10.
"We had a handful of guys step up and handle big-time roles with confidence when we were in need," said Lewis. "That is a mark of a team that can advance in the postseason."
No matter how Sunday's match between The Evergreen State College and Rocky Mountain shakes out, both Corban and Southern Oregon University will still have a chance at the CCC regular-season title heading into the final weekend of CCC play. Evergreen, Rocky, Corban, and Southern Oregon, all play each other in one shape or form over these final three contests, beginning with Sunday's Evergreen-Rocky matchup in Billings.
Corban (14-2, 9-2 CCC) returns to the pitch next weekend for the final two games of the CCC regular season against Northwest University on Friday at 11 a.m. and on Saturday at 6 p.m. vs. Evergreen. Both matches will once again be played at Willamette University's Sparks Field. Live stats and live video will be provided on Warrior TV.
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