LA GRANDE, Ore. – The Corban University men's soccer team—ranked No. 20 in the final NAIA Coaches' Top-25 Poll from last season—picked up right where it left off in its first official match of the 2020-21 campaign, blasting past Eastern Oregon University with a 4-0 triumph in La Grande.

"We started the game very well today," said head coach Tim Kagey. "It was great to be able to get everybody on the field and get our young guys lots of minutes. We still have quite a bit to work on, but we had some quality moments."

It was a rematch of the 2019 Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) Tournament Championship, which added to the excitement of the early-season matchup between the two in-state rivals.

Corban wasted no time flexing its muscles, striking first with a 12^th-minute goal from Nate Sherwood.

Less than three minutes later, defending NAIA Honorable-Mention All-American Matheus Giron scored (15') for the first time in 2020-21, converting an assist from Warrior newcomer Jose Peralta. The reigning CCC Newcomer of the Year led the squad with 15 goals in 2019, and Monday's goal figures to be the first of many this spring.

A fresh face in the Corban starting eleven made his presence felt in the 17^th minute, as Noe Favila punctuated his long-awaited Navy and Gold debut with a beautiful strike of his own.

Scoring three times in the span of five minutes, Corban gave itself a resounding lead early, showcasing the depth of its offensive arsenal. The defense was equally suffocating, however, as the squad held the Mountaineers to just two shots in the first half, neither of which were on goal.

The Warrior cushion was further expanded in the 69^th minute, when freshman Eric Bengana netted the first goal of his collegiate career, assisted by Giron.

Justin Keegan notched his first clean sheet of the campaign with an impressive day between the pipes, collecting a pair of saves in the triumph.

It's a promising start for the Warrior program, which once again has its sights set on lofty goals in the upcoming season.

Corban (1-0) will have one final match before the beginning of Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) play, which is scheduled to kick off on March 7-8. Prior to that, the squad will travel to Portland, Ore. to battle Multnomah University on February 25.