SALEM, Ore. – The Corban University Women's Soccer team honored its senior class following a late comeback effort that came up just short in a 3-2 Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) setback to Southern Oregon University at the Outdoor Athletic Complex (OAC). Despite goals from freshman forward Haley Miersma and senior midfielder Gabrielle Nakamura, the Warriors were unable to overcome a three-goal second-half surge from the Raiders as Corban dropped to 6-7-3 overall and 4-4-2 in CCC play, remaining in seventh place within the conference standings.
"I'm really proud of our senior's efforts tonight," began Corban head coach Tim Kagey. "We didn't get the result we wanted, but are looking forward to another opportunity next weekend."
Following the match, the Warriors celebrated ten senior student-athletes in Nakamura, Olivia Fitzpatrick, Meliah Servatius, Kelsey Guzon, Shannel Killorn, Shaelee Killorn, Bailey Krause, Ava Hayes, Kelli Huskic, and Hosanna Lacine. The veteran group helped lead Corban throughout the afternoon, highlighted by key contributions from Nakamura and Fitzpatrick in the contest.
The two sides traded chances throughout a scoreless opening half. Corban generated opportunities through Huskic and Fitzpatrick, while redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Jordyn Labajo turned aside three Raider shots to keep the match deadlocked heading into the break.
The Warriors struck first shortly after halftime when Fitzpatrick delivered a well-placed ball into the attacking third that found Miersma in stride. The freshman forward capitalized on the opportunity in the 49th minute, giving Corban a 1-0 advantage and sending the Senior Day crowd into a frenzy.
Southern Oregon answered less than 10 minutes later on a penalty kick before taking its first lead of the afternoon in the 66th minute. The Raiders added what proved to be the eventual game-winner in the 86th minute, extending their advantage to 3-1 with just over four minutes remaining.
However, Corban refused to go down quietly. Following sustained pressure in the Raiders' goalbox, the Warriors earned a penalty kick of their own in the 88th minute. Nakamura confidently converted from the spot, cutting the deficit to 3-2 and giving Corban new life in the closing moments. The Warriors continued to press forward in search of an equalizer, but Southern Oregon held on through the final whistle.
Miersma led the Warrior attack with four shots, including three on target, while scoring her team-leading fifth goal of the season. Huskic added three shots on goal, Nakamura converted her penalty-kick opportunity, and Fitzpatrick recorded her team-best fourth assist of the year. Labajo turned in another impressive performance between the posts, collecting nine saves while facing 12 shots on goal.
For Southern Oregon, Tori Lasch, Brycelin Endrikat, and Kaylah Bresee each scored, while Abby McKean and Carter O'Shea recorded assists. Goalkeeper Ashlyn Fuss made six saves to earn the victory.
Corban matched the Raiders with six corner kicks and placed eight of its 13 shots on target. The Warriors' two-goal output marked their highest scoring total in conference play since their 4-1 victory over Bushnell University earlier last week.
The Warriors will conclude the regular season next week with their longest road trip of the year, as they'll make the over 700-mile venture to Helena, Montana to battle Carroll College (5-3-6, 4-1-4) on Thursday, October 29th for a 5pm MT/4pm PT start time. Behind a day of travel on Friday with another 250 miles of travel on deck destined for Billings, they'll end the regular season at No. 20-ranked Rocky Mountain College (9-0-4, 7-0-2) looking to qualify for a potential postseason seed in the CCC Tournament. Kickoff against the Battlin' Bears is scheduled for 12pm MT/11am PT.
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