SALEM, Ore. – During the last decade of seasons, the Corban University Men's Soccer program has transformed into a household name within the NAIA when it comes to consistent results on the pitch. Since 2013, the Warriors have held a winning record at every season's end and have only missed the NAIA National Tournament on a single occasion. This year, newly appointed head coach Corbin Bowers can set the standard within the program for the next ten seasons to come and is confident that his crew will continue the longstanding tradition of playing collegiate men's soccer not only with speed and momentum, but with the constant pursuit of discipline on and off the field.
"It is an exciting time as we head into a new era of Warrior men's soccer," Coach Bowers stated when asked to speak on what he expects in his first year at the helm of the program. "I am thrilled to lead this group of young men through a challenging but rewarding season. I expect us to face strong opposition throughout the season and I am eager to see how this group responds to adversity and enjoys moments of success. We are determined to continue with the Corban men's soccer rich history of success."
Three different defensive team records fell in the fall of 2022 thanks to the sturdy defensive line and All-American goalkeeper in the net, as the Warriors posted a Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) leading fourteen shutouts en route to a third-place finish in the ever-competitive conference slate. As one would expect, the new season standards for team fewest goals against (9) and lowest goals against average (0.42) were appointed last year as well.
A perfect non-conference record and a 4-0 record in CCC play is how the Navy and Gold kicked off the 2022 season last year, setting up a crucial road matchup with eventual CCC regular season and tournament champion, Warner Pacific University. An 83' minute penalty kick for the Knights proved to be the difference maker in an instant conference classic that punctured the Warriors flawless record and shutout streak to begin the season. Despite their then perfect season being snapped, Corban continued to receive NAIA Top 25 votes throughout most of the year and would go on end the 2023 season as the No. 25-ranked team.
Corban ended the regular season by posting a 5-1-1 record to earn the third overall seed in the CCC Tournament, proving that even the slightest setbacks can cost a team multiple spots in the standings over the course of just a single weekend. The Warriors would go on to defeat Rocky Mountain College in the quarterfinals by a final score of 3-1 before falling in the semifinals to Oregon Tech 2-0.
Starting a new NAIA National Tournament appearance streak hung in the balance of the Selection Committee following the Warriors' semifinal departure from the CCC Tournament, which voted in favor of Corban's strength of schedule within the conference and non-conference slate to appoint them to a No. 3-ranked seed in the Opening Round. Unfortunately for Warrior Nation, their 2022 season was ended in heartbreaking fashion by Oklahoma Wesleyan University in the first round via penalty kicks, sending Corban home to reset for the 2023 season.
A single home scrimmage is how the Warriors will kick off the 2023 season next week on August 16th, as they'll host Lane Community College at the Outdoor Athletic Complex (OAC) with a 8:30pm kickoff before hitting the road for the remainder of the non-conference slate.
The Navy and Gold will stay local for their first counting contest of the season, as they'll battle crosstown rival and NCAA DIII school Willamette University on August 25th over on the Bearcats' campus with kickoff scheduled for 5pm. Corban will then travel south for a quick trip to California where they will battle Menlo College and Pacific Union College on September 1st and 3rd, respectively.
A familiar conference foe sits between the Warriors and the beginning of their conference schedule for the 2023 season, as The Evergreen State College Geoducks will host Corban in a rare non-conference dual between conference opponents on September 9th up in Olympia, Washington.
CCC play will begin on September 15th in the opposite fashion that the 2022 season slate began for the Warriors, as they'll host I-5 rival Bushnell University at 7pm in the only scheduled contest of the week. They'll then go on a quick road trip the following week to Southern Oregon University and Oregon Tech before setting up their only homestand of the 2023 slate.
Over the course of the final weekend of September and throughout the first half of October, the Warriors will host six different CCC teams in their last home games of the regular season. They will start on September 29th and 30th with the University of Providence and Carroll College, followed by Northwest University and the aforementioned Geoducks on October 6th and 7th, and concluding with the preseason favorite Knights from Warner Pacific and Multnomah University on October 13th and 14th. Their contest with the Lions will serve as the Senior Day celebration to mark the last home game of the year and final home contest for the senior student-athletes.
The Warriors will complete the final two weeks of conference play making their way east across the Pacific Northwest, starting in Caldwell, Idaho to face The College of Idaho before backtracking to La Grande to battle Eastern Oregon University on the weekend of October 20th. Corban's final two CCC contests will take place over a three-day period on October 27th and 29th, starting in Walla Walla, Washington against Walla Walla University and ending the long road trip in Billings, Montana when the Battlin' Bears of Rocky Mountain College make their final stand for each team to show their worthiness of a postseason selection.
The CCC Championships will once again be held at two different field locations in Springfield and Eugene, Oregon, starting on November 6th and ending with the championship match on November 10th. The top eight teams in the CCC standings at the end of the regular season will earn the right to battle it out at either Les Schwab Sports Park or Civic Park over the course of the five-day tourney.
To view the entire 2023 Corban Men's Soccer schedule, click HERE.
Replacing ten of eleven starters will not be an easy task for Coach Bowers and his first-year roster, but none more important than the departure of graduate student goalkeeper Quinn McCallion. The Wallingford, United Kingdom native set multiple single season records in-between the posts and was named an NAIA Third Team All-American, a First Team Academic All-American, and the CCC Defensive Player of the Year. At the conclusion of the 2022-23 school year, McCallion was also named the CCC Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
A pair of returning forwards representing both the experience and youth that this roster has to offer come in the forms of redshirt senior Nate Sherwood and sophomore Jaden Dubon, who will bring a combined twelve goals and four assists with them from the 2022 season to set the standard for the Corban offense this year. Both forwards led the team last year in consistency at the net, as Sherwood was the top student-athlete in shot on goal percentage while Dubon commanded in overall shot percentage.
Looking towards the center of the offensive action, senior midfielder Gian Gargurevich is set to return in an elevated role within the command of the Warriors' offense and will serve as a key role model for the rest of the young midfielders within the Navy and Gold ranks. The midfielder role is the deepest position on this year's roster with nearly half of the team playing a part in those areas of the field.
An incoming true freshman to watch as this season unfolds will be represented by one of Bowers' international additions, goalkeeper Miguel Trujillo from Panama City, Panama. In addition to adding the young goalie, Bowers has recruited transfer junior defenders Joshua Holguin and Cade Ficek to bolster the defensive line in front of Trujillo and redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Isaac Pureco.
"This group will consistently pursue excellence on the field," Coach Bowers shared on his first squad in the Navy and Gold. "Everything surrounding our program is built on the pursuit of excellence at the highest levels. We expect the program to continue to play a very dynamic brand of soccer that will be exciting to watch. We are determined to be a hard-working group and make it difficult to play against us. We are striving to dominate the game and make the opposition feel miserable after playing us. We have lofty goals and encourage our fans to come out to support us as we make Warrior nation proud with our excellent style of soccer."
To view the entire 2023 Corban Men's Soccer roster, click HERE.
To read more on the 2023 Corban Men's Soccer newcomers, click HERE.
Corban men's soccer has qualified for the CCC Tournament every year since 2013 and shows no signs of dipping below that expectation in the 2023 season. Postseason men's soccer and Corban University have become synonymous over the last ten seasons, and Coach Bowers and his staff have the utmost confidence in their student-athletes' ability to continue that legacy forward into the next generation.
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