KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. – The playoff dreams are still alive for the Corban University Men's Soccer team following their 1-1 draw at Oregon Tech, as the first career goal for a graduate student Warrior allowed the Navy and Gold to depart southern Oregon with a pair of ties and two points in the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) standings.
With under five minutes to play in the opening half, graduate student defender Joshua Holguin plastered his first career goal as a Warrior to put Corban men's soccer (4-8-4, 2-4-4) up 1-0 at the halftime break. Senior forward Gerardo Lopez ripped a cross from the right seam of the Oregon Tech (6-4-5, 4-4-2) defense and found Holguin all alone in the left half of the OIT penalty box, where he ripped a shot off the fingertips of goalkeeper Harvey Bolland for the game's opening goal.
Nearly ten minutes into the second half, the Hustlin' Owls found the equalizer on a back-post cross from defender Patrick Chan, as he found Merrick Tambio for the header attempt that sunk into the back of the netting.
With just under 30 minutes to play, an altercation between opposing players resulted in a yellow card booking on Corban and a red card given to an Oregon Tech player, providing the Warriors with a man-up advantage the remainder of the contest. Despite their on-field advantage, the Navy and Gold were unable to find the back of the net once again and instead, settled for the 1-1 draw in the Klamath Basin.
The rainy and windy affair resulted in just 16 total shots to be taken between the two CCC programs, splitting attempts down the middle with OIT taking a slight 2-1 edge in shots on goal. Senior midfielder Santiago Castano took a game-high five shots for Corban, while Tech was led by Tambio and midfielder Cristian Sanchez with two shots apiece. Either goalkeeper allowed a goal, with redshirt senior goalkeeper Isaac Pureco registering the only save of the game.
Two more contests are scheduled for the Corban men's soccer program in 2025 and will both take place on their home turf, as they'll host Rocky Mountain College (5-1-6, 4-1-4) at 7pm on Halloween night as they attempt to keep their postseason aspirations alive on their Senior Weekend.
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