NEWBERG, Ore. – It only took less than a minute of gameplay for the Corban University Men's Soccer team to fall 2-0 on the road against NCAA DIII George Fox University, as the Warriors allowed a pair of goals in the 62nd minute to drop an otherwise stalemate with the Bruins to wrap-up non-conference play for the 2024 season.
"There were many positives to take from our first half performance in how we controlled the play," shared Corban head coach Josh Rios Noonkester. "We were organized defensively and demonstrated good patience in possession. Our second half was a letdown and something we'll have to work on collectively. We'll get back to the field Monday with our focus on conference play. Our group understands these non-conference matches were valuable experiences for our growth regardless of the end results. We will remain positive and focus on improving in the attacking third as we created limited chances in the second half. Thank you to all of our supporters who made the trip to Newberg."
Entering the contest on a three-game losing skid after opening the season with a comeback victory, the Warriors (1-4-0) were just needing a consistent performance from start to finish if they wanted to conclude the non-conference portion of their schedule with a positive decision. Represented by a George Fox program that handed fellow Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) member Warner Pacific University a 6-0 loss to start the 2024 season, the Bruins (4-0-0) trailed Corban in shots following a scoreless half by either team, 5-4 in total shots yet 4-1 in shots on goal in favor of the Navy and Gold.
George Fox would have plenty of opportunities to score from their six corner kick tries throughout the first forty-five minutes of play, yet redshirt junior goalkeeper Isaac Pureco kept the Bruins off the scoreboard in each of their chances. Warriors' freshman forward Jose Guzman had two shots to lead Corban into the locker room with a 0-0 draw on the scoreboard thus far.
Despite the Warriors' best efforts, the Bruins' offense bombarded Pureco in the second half with 13 total team shots, resulting in goals by forward Isaac Williams and defender Elijah Soon. Williams scored the first goal of the contest on a header crossed in by midfielder Harrison Emert, while Soon was granted a PK try after a questionable call in the Corban penalty box less than a minute later.
The Bruins were able to keep the Warriors out of their own defensive half for a majority of the remaining thirty minutes following their two goals to force a 2-0 decision on their home field, allowing Corban to turn their focus towards their first Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) next week.
Nine second half shots allowed GFU to overtake the Navy and Gold on the offensive leaderboard with six shots on goal in total, while the Warriors managed just four shots in total the remaining forty-five minutes of play. Guzman remained the Corban leader in shots, while Williams led for George Fox with three on the day.
Defensively, both Pureco and Bruins' goalkeeper Justin Huttinger snagged four saves apiece, with Huttinger improving to 4-0 on the year while Pureco dropped his third decision and now holds a 1-3 overall record.
Corban men's soccer now begins CCC play next Thursday in Eugene, Oregon against I-5 rival Bushnell University (3-0-1), with kickoff scheduled for 7pm right after the women's match concludes.
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