SALEM, Ore. – The offense was on full display at the Outdoor Athletic Complex earlier this afternoon for the Corban University Men's Soccer program, as the Warriors (2-4-4, 2-2-2) scored four goals to defeat Northwest University in a crucial conference matchup to stay in the hunt for a Cascade Collegiate Conference Tournament playoff position.
"Our offense really came to life today," Warriors' head coach Corbin Bowers stated. "We had a strong week of training and a great game plan on how to break down our opponent; it was awesome to see that come together today for most of the match. Really proud of the performance and now we turn our focus to tomorrow's matchup."
Redshirt sophomore forward Irwin Leon was the focal point of the Warriors' scoring brigade this afternoon, jumping out to a pair of goals in the first half during the 14th and 32nd minutes. The first was scored thanks to an assist by redshirt senior Nate Sherwood, while the second was awarded to the Eugene native after he was fouled in the penalty box and was awarded a shot from the penalty kick mark, which he converted with ease.
Leon took a backseat in the second half on the scoring side of the offense and swapped to a distributor role, dishing out assists to redshirt sophomore Bryan Nicolas and redshirt senior Evan Hoover in the first five minutes of the second half to provide the Warriors with a 4-0 lead.
However, the Navy and Gold now needed to hold their four goal lead over the next forty minutes of play in hopes of securing their first shutout of the season. Northwest (4-3-3, 1-2-3) refused to be held scoreless for their third-straight contest, as forward Corbin Herrera scored goals in the 64th and 74th minutes in a comeback bid that appeared to be a longshot, but now well within reach with just under twenty minutes remaining.
Fortunately for Warrior Nation, the Eagles were stymied over the remainder of the game, with redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Isaac Pureco earning his second win of the season. The Woodburn native secured five saves over 77 minutes of action, with freshman goalkeeper Miguel Trujillo allowing the two goals to Herrera and earning four saves of his own.
Despite scoring twice the number of goals, the Warriors were outshot 22-15 in the match, as Northwest erupted in the second half for 19 shots after a forgettable first half result for the Eagles. Corban was still able to make the most of their opportunities to hand NU only their second conference loss of the season.
The Warriors will return to the OAC tomorrow for another 4:30pm kickoff, as they look to avenge their non-conference loss to The Evergreen State College (4-5-1, 3-2-1) earlier this season with an incredibly meaningful home conference contest tomorrow night.
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