EUGENE, Ore. – Knotted at one goal apiece with less than ten minutes remaining, true freshman forward Zachary Milczarek saved the day for the Corban University Men's Soccer team in their Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) opener, handing undefeated Bushnell University their first loss of the season in a down-to-the-wire finish. The Warriors (2-4-0, 1-0-0) extend their streak of no losses against the Beacons (4-1-1, 0-1-0) to seventeen-consecutive matchups, with their streak beginning in 2011 and featuring 13 wins with four ties during the 13-year span.
"So proud of the guys for how they battled today," began Corban's Josh Rios Noonkester who picked up his first conference win as a collegiate head coach. "We know the quality we have within the team, and day-to-day we're building our chemistry. Our mentality coming into today was positive after a better week of training."
Coach Noonkester continued by sharing, "There were many standout performances today on all levels. It was great to see Isaac command the six-yard box, as he came up with some massive saves in both halves and handled crosses very decisively. We're excited for our Aussie Zach, as he put constant pressure on their backline and was able to break through for the game-winner. We'll enjoy this one today and continue to look at the areas we can improve tomorrow. Thank you to our supporters who made the trip to Eugene, we look forward to seeing you at home next week!"
The freshmen came to play on the road at Civic Park, led by true freshman forward Jose Guzman who commanded the Warriors' offense by assisting on both the opening score and eventual game-winner in the closing minutes. First, Guzman found redshirt junior midfielder Bryan Lopez in the middle of the Beacons' penalty box with just one defender to juke before unleashing a rocket into the back of the net, providing the Navy and Gold with an early 1-0 lead in the 29th minute, which would stand to be the only difference by halftime.
Exactly twenty minutes into the second half, Bushnell defender Jesus Aguilar scored the equalizer on a header crossed in by midfielder Javier Gutierrez to knot the contest at a goal apiece. Both Warrior Nation and Beacon fans were beginning to experience déjà vu, with the most recent rivalry game ending in similar fashion last season on Corban's campus with a comeback draw forced by the Navy and Gold.
However, Milczarek was able to score his team-leading second goal of the season on a breakaway opportunity thanks to yet another beautifully placed ball by Guzman, as the Australian native burst through the Beacons' backline and landed a strike past the outstretched arms of Bushnell goalkeeper William Haberfield. Milczarek and Guzman now lead the Warriors in points this season with four and three each, respectively, with Guzman representing the leading assister with a trio thus far in 2024 and Milczarek adding the first game-winning goal to his collegiate resume.
Corban junior midfielder Santiago Castano tied the game-high mark and led the visiting team with four shots this evening, while redshirt junior Irwin Leon was 2-for-2 in shots that qualified as shots on goal. For the Beacons, both forwards Ian Palma and Brady Housley matched Castano with four shots apiece.
Redshirt junior goalkeeper Isaac Pureco was all over the penalty box today for the Navy and Gold, making a handful of crucial saves 1-on-1 with Bushnell attackers to keep the home team off the scoreboard. He swatted away a game-best seven saves to clinch his second win of the year. Haberfield allowed the two goals Corban need to leave Eugene with a victory while accumulating a pair of saves.
The Warriors will utilize the next week to prepare for their first doubleheader weekend of CCC soccer on their home field, as they'll welcome Oregon Tech (3-2-0, 0-0-0) on Friday, September 27th for another important conference matchup.
Follow Corban Athletics:
Facebook l Twitter l Instagram l YouTube l Email
