ASHLAND, Ore. – The No. 11-ranked Corban University men's soccer team left it until late on Friday on the road at Southern Oregon University, but thanks to a golden goal in the second overtime from junior forward Timur Zhividze, the Warriors prevailed over the Raiders in a thriller, 2-1.
"SOU was well prepared and competed hard all day," said Corban head coach Aaron Lewis. "This will be a difficult place for teams to pick up points the rest of the year, so we are ecstatic to be heading out of here with three points."
Corban jumped in front in the 33rd minute when Zhividze led a counterattack and played a ball to junior forward Rolando Velazquez. Velazquez finished it off to put the Warriors on top, 1-0, scoring his second goal in as many games.
SOU provided an immediate response, however, scoring less than 20 seconds later to tie the contest at 1-1.
The score remained that way, despite there being chances on both sides, and eventually the contest went to overtime after a scrum at the end of regulation that saw both sides receive red cards. Corban ultimately received a free kick at the top of the box in the 107th minute in the second overtime, and the Warriors took advantage of the golden opportunity.
Zhividze lined up the chance, and he made no mistake, burying the direct free kick into the right side netting, ending the contest on the spot in dramatic fashion.
"Our team continues to show resiliency, belief in each other, and commitment to battle for points," said Lewis. "If they can continue that trend, we'll be in good shape."
For Zhividze, it was his team-leading eighth goal of the 2016 campaign. Corban outshot SOU on the day, 15-11, and held the advantage in corner-kicks, 6-1.
Corban (8-0-0, 3-0-0 CCC) returns to action tomorrow when it takes on Oregon Tech (6-1-1, 3-0-0 CCC) in Klamath Falls in a battle for the top of the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) standings. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m.
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