SALEM, Ore. – The Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) season is officially upon the Corban University Women's Soccer team, who cruised to a 3-1 victory on their home field this evening over I-5 rival Bushnell University. The Warriors (3-2-2, 1-0-0) jump back over .500 for the second time this year since their season opening victory, while the Beacons (1-3-0, 0-1-0) were handed their second-consecutive loss.
Corban head coach Travez Whyte shared, "Today, we were able to find a lot of success, not just in the result but much more on a player-to-player level. We played the Warrior Way, working hard for each other and for the glory of God."
Coach Whyte continued by stating, "The support from everyone was amazing. Teammates, Corban staff and faculty, Corban students, and our Salem soccer community that all came out this evening. We are grateful to start off conference play with this victory!"
In her home debut since joining the women's soccer program this past offseason, Warriors' junior forward Kelli Huskic, Clark College's all-time career goals leader, made her mark on the CCC with a 13th minute goal from twenty yards out. After a cross was denied by the Beacons' defense, Huskic controlled and stepped up to take a shot from well outside the penalty box, skying the ball up and over the reach of Bushnell goalkeeper Lexi Bates to provide her squad with a 1-0 lead.
Not even two minutes later, sophomore forward Carley Diaz decided she wanted to get in on the season-opening goal scoring action as well, finding a wide open opportunity in front of the net on a perfectly placed pass by junior midfielder Alysia Alvarado that gave Corban a 2-0 lead on their home field.
With the one-minute remaining mark having just passed, Bushnell managed to jump on the scoreboard and find the netting for their goal against Corban since the 2017 season. A cross denied by the Warriors was quickly ricocheted back into the penalty box, where defender Lexis Canyete-Asato took a sharp angle on the right side of the goal to sneak a shot past two defenders and Warriors' senior goalkeeper Makida Herbert.
The first half was all about patience and execution for both teams, with only ten shots taken in total between the Warriors and Beacons through forty-five minutes of play. The Navy and Gold committed more fouls and found two more shots on goal, but as far as everyone was concerned at the Outdoor Athletic Complex tonight, Bushnell certainly held the momentum going into the halftime break after scoring a 45th minute goal.
With the starting lineup back in to start the second half for Corban, keeping control of the narrative like they did through the first forty-four minutes was Coach Whyte's gameplan to eliminate anymore mishaps on the defensive end of the field, as the offense had certainly done its part to this point of the contest. The Warriors managed to do exactly that for the remainder of the contest, keeping Bushnell scoreless from that moment on and even adding another goal to their season totals.
Alvarado decided it was time to break the team-high mark for goals in the 79th minute, as Huskic and the Salem native combined for the Warriors' third goal of the evening. With the Beacons pinned back deep in their own territory, sophomore midfielder Rylee Loewen collected the free kick boot and found Huskic in the middle of the field, one-tapping the ball straight to a driving Alvarado who made easy work of her one-versus-one opportunity with Bates.
Determined to score this evening was Alvarado who logged a game-high eight shots with five of them coming on goal. Huskic was right behind with three shots, while Loewen was a perfect two-for-two on shots and shots on goal.
The Beacons were led offensively by forward Emily Puita, who took three shots and had one saved by Herbert. Canyete-Asato was the only other Beacon student-athlete with multiple shots this evening, as both of her shots were on goal and represented the lone goal for the Beacons and one of Herbert's multiple saves.
The goalkeepers racked up a handful of defensive plays tonight in the rivalry contest, with Herbert hauling in five saves while Bates secured a game-high nine shots on goal. Herbert would have the last laugh however, earning her third win of the season while Bates fell to 1-2 on the year.
The southern CCC schools await the Warriors next weekend, as RV Southern Oregon University (3-3-1, 0-0-1) and Oregon Tech (1-2-1, 0-1-0) will compete tomorrow while Corban rests before hosting the Willamette Valley programs next weekend on September 22nd and 23rd, respectively.
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