SALEM, Ore. – Since 2013, the Corban University Women's Soccer team has secured a seed in every single postseason held by the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC), securing semifinalist appearances in nearly half of those tournaments and finishing no lower than eighth in the regular season standings during the same span. However, with the Warriors' most recent NAIA National Tournament appearance dating back to 2005, second-year head coach Travez Whyte looks to not only continue their conference postseason streak past the ten-year mark, but also set new expectations for members of Warrior Nation by bouncing back into the national eye with key CCC matchups that will set the tone for the 2024 competitive season.
Coach Whyte entered the scene for the Corban women's soccer program just days before their first matchup of the regular season in 2023, leading to an inspiring transition for the team and coaching staff as they faced an uphill battle of multiple NAIA Top 25 matchups in a matter of weeks. An even two wins, two losses, and two ties over that six-game opening slate would eventually result in a 9-6-4 overall record last fall, including an impressive 7-3-2 record against CCC opponents that led to a three-way tie for third place in the conference. After the dust of tiebreaker procedure settled, the Warriors settled for a No. 4-seed in the CCC Tournament, which was their highest seeding since 2017.
"Last season, we were able to continue the legacy of what it means to be a Corban Warrior!" explained Coach Whyte. "We are grateful for all the learning opportunities, and we are excited to keep building on years of excellence both on and off the field. We know who we are as a program and what we are capable of doing. This group of student-athletes is ready to showcase their talents, skills, and hard work on each of our twenty unique gamedays. We are ready to give it our all, join us on this journey and see what it means to be a true Warrior!"
Ten consecutive postseasons have come and gone for the Navy and Gold, all ending in the CCC quarterfinals or semifinals to conference opponents that have created their own dynasties within the Pacific Northwest. In 2024, Coach Whyte expects his Warriors to crack that ceiling for the first time in nearly twenty years with a hearty group of key returners and incoming transfers/freshmen who will all provide extra depth as the season progresses and prove to be the difference maker within the CCC as physical exhaustion begins to settle in for each of the conference members.
Having already participated in their first scrimmage of the season this past Monday, Corban women's soccer will take the field tomorrow on Thursday, August 15th at the Outdoor Athletic Complex (OAC) against a brand new NAIA opponent in Stanton University out of Anaheim, California. The team's final scrimmages of the fall term will take place the following day this Friday, as they'll welcome both Portland Community College and Rogue Community College for 10am and 1:30pm matchups, respectively.
Only one of the Warriors' five remaining non-conference matchups will take place on their home pitch after this week, as they'll travel to NCAA DIII Pacific University on August 21st before returning to host Trinity Western University on August 24th. The Spartans are currently scheduled to join the NAIA and CCC for cross country in 2025, and hope to expand that to all of their sports, including women's soccer, in years to come, thus participating in the first of possibly many future matchups with Corban women's soccer.
September 6th, 14th, and 15th will all feature road contests for the Navy and Gold, as they'll travel to three different NCAA DIII teams over a ten-day period. First, they'll travel north up the Willamette Valley to battle George Fox University for the first time since 2013, where the Warriors hold a 2-0 career record against the Bruins and an 8-0 scoring advantage.
Back-to-back games in eastern Washington will conclude the non-conference portion of Corban's 2024 schedule, as a repeat weekend from the 2023 season at Whitworth University and Whitman College await the Warriors in Spokane and Walla Walla. Last year, Corban settled for a 2-2 draw with the Pirates and ended the trip with a 2-1 victory against the Blues.
The Navy and Gold will begin the 2024 conference slate on the road at I-5 rival Bushnell University, looking to extend their nine-game winning streak against the Beacons with an immediately crucial set of points up for grabs against a team that qualified for their first postseason in program history just one year ago.
Prior to their longest road trip of the year, the Warriors will return home for a pair of key matchups with Oregon Tech and Southern Oregon University, two programs that hold all-time net positive winning percentages against Corban and look to avenge a pair of home draws from the 2023 season.
The team will spend nearly the entire month of October away from the OAC and their hometown fans, as they'll be making stops in Montana, Washington, and the greater Portland area for six important conference matchups. A massive road trip to Helena and Great Falls on October 4th and 5th will set the expectations for the remaining road contests, with Carroll College having maintained the bulk of their postseason roster from last year and the University of Providence making strides towards reestablishing themselves within the CCC as well.
The following weekend, Corban will venture to the Seattle suburbs for matchups with The Evergreen State College and Northwest University, the latter of which sent the Warriors home the last seasons in a heartbreaking double overtime result of the conference quarterfinals. Having split the past four matchups overall and never beating the Eagles in Kirkland, the Warriors will have a prime opportunity to prove their postseason worthiness on October 12th.
Corban final road contests in 2024 will take place at Multnomah and Warner Pacific University, who they currently hold lengthy winning streaks against and will need to earn six points against if they want to continue climbing the conference leaderboard.
Despite making their long-awaited homecoming to end the month of October, the program's most crucial home matchups of the year will come against the top two preseason selections in last week's coaches' poll, as both RV Eastern Oregon University and the No. 20-ranked College of Idaho Yotes will travel west in marque matchups within the state capital.
Finally, the regular season comes to an end on November 1st, where the Warriors will host Rocky Mountain College for their Senior Day matchup, hoping to secure a seed in the 2024 CCC Tournament concurrently and begin preparations for their eleventh-straight postseason appearance.
To view the entire 2024 Corban Women's Soccer schedule, click HERE.
A whopping eight starters from last year's rotation will be returning to the field in 2024, including the top four goal scorers represented by senior forward Alysia Alvarado, senior forward Kelli Huskic, senior forward Fatima Jimenez, and junior forward Carley Ganchenko, formerly Diaz. With the addition of some key transfers and freshmen to bolster the attacking and middle portions of the field for Coach Whyte, such as junior midfielder Abril Dimas Camacho and freshman forward Maya Alston, offensive opportunities will arise naturally for this year's lineup.
Defensively, Corban suffered a massive hit to their back line and goalkeeping staff with the departure of four-year starting goalkeeper Makida Herbert and defenders Josie Brence and Rylee Loewen over the past offseason but have a plethora of student-athletes containing both experience and youth that are set to step up and become immediate impact players for the Corban women's soccer program.
Between the posts, redshirt junior Catriona Burns and sophomore Ava Hayes each appeared in multiple contests for the Warriors last season and can step into goal as needed with Herbert now coaching from the sidelines. Meanwhile, returning defenders such as senior Adilynn Brotnov, senior Emilly Olvera, and junior Chloe Beck are positioned to maintain the historically renowned defensive framework for the program that dates back to the early 2000s.
On a newcomer basis, transfer redshirt freshman Kelsey Guzon and true freshman Meliah Servatius each possess the skillset to step into Coach Whyte's gameplan and take immediate action towards setting new defensive records for the perennially stalwart Corban lineup.
To see the complete 2024 Corban Women's Soccer roster, click HERE.
To find a more in-depth breakdown of the newcomers joining the Warriors this fall, click HERE.
Despite playing in one of the most difficult conference's the NAIA has to offer, Coach Whyte and his staff are confident that the Corban women's soccer program is not only a conference contender in 2024, but certainly has the ceiling of breaking down nearly twenty years postseason angst and returning to the national tournament once again.
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