KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. – Levan Zhividze scored a golden goal in the first minute of overtime on Saturday, lifting the No. 18-ranked Corban University men's soccer team to a 1-0 triumph over Oregon Tech. The victory marks Corban's second overtime win of the 2018 campaign.
"Solid defending and good goalkeeping gave us a chance to find the winner late in the game," said Corban head coach Aaron Lewis. "Good teams keep clean sheets until they find a breakthrough, and that's what our group did again today. Oregon Tech is a difficult place to play, so we are really pleased to be moving on with three more points."
The first half didn't see a lot of great chances on either end, but the Warriors came close to scoring a couple of times late in the stanza when Travez Whyte ripped a shot on goal, only to see it denied by the Owls' goalkeeper. Corban then had a shot go in late in the waning seconds of the first half, but a foul was called, negating the goal.
In the second stanza, both teams created chances, and Corban looked as if it would go in front on a number of occasions, but good saves and defensive blocks by the Owls kept the Warriors at bay. Alan Cruz Ramirez then ripped a free kick midway through the second half that looked destined for the back of the net, but it pinged off the crossbar, keeping the score at 0-0.
Oregon Tech also saw a shot go off the crossbar late in regulation, sending the match to overtime.
It took less than a minute in the first overtime for Corban to find the game-winner. Whyte controlled the ball 35 yards from goal on a nifty half-turn, and he then fed his pass straight into the path of the onrushing Zhividze who blasted his left-footed shot into the bottom-right corner of the goal from 18 yards out, winning the match for the Warriors.
Jordan Salim finished with seven saves for the Navy and Gold in the win.
Corban (8-1, 5-0 CCC) returns to CCC play on Sunday for a critical conference matchup with defending CCC regular-season champion, Southern Oregon University (8-2, 5-0 CCC). Kickoff is slated for 1:30 p.m.
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