PORTLAND, Ore. – It was a warm October afternoon in the Pacific Northwest at the Eastside Timbers Sports Complex, and what started out as a defensive slugfest for the first 75 minutes of today's Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) contest led to three total goals in the final 15 minutes of play. Senior defender Aaron James broke through in the 76th minute by finding the back of the net on a corner kick assist by freshmen midfielder Abraham Lopez. The Warriors then expanded their lead in the 87th minute, courtesy of redshirt junior forward Alvaro Castellon working some one-on-one magic in the Warriors' offense third. The Knights did rally slightly by scoring an 87th minute goal of their own via a penalty kick, but it was too little, too late as the Warriors defeated the Knights on the road 2-1. The result gives the Warriors their first conference win in the 2026 season, moving Corban to 4-2-2 overall and 1-2-2 in conference play. For the Knights, the defeat moves them to 2-5-2 overall and 0-4-1 in conference play.
"I'm nothing but proud of the guys today. I asked them to bounce back after Friday, and that is exactly what they did today. This was one of our most complete performances of the year so far, and we showed what we're really capable of," head coach Jordan Keegan said.
The first half was dominated offensively by the Knights, outshooting the Warriors 12-4 in the first half. Redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Rylan Davidson made three saves in the first 11 minutes of the contest alone, with the Corban offense getting their first shot of the game in 21st minute from junior forward Zachary Milczarek. Freshmen forward Antonio Virrueta also had two shots in the first half, one of them being on goal. Lopez would have one last chance to score but missed wide right of the net. Knights' sophomore goalkeeper Owen Purvis held off every first half attack the Warriors mustered and entered the halftime break with no goals scored for either team.
The second half began nearly identical to the first, as Warner Pacific would have four early shots in the 47th, 52nd, 56th, and 59th minutes, respectively, while the Warriors had zero shots in the same span. Freshmen defender Johnny Garcia and Lopez kickstarted the reversal of the tides for Corban, earning shot attempts later in the half, but it was James who finally broke through break the stalemate by finding the back of the net in 76th minute, thanks to an assist from Lopez. The Warriors played ten minutes of good defense after the goal, which in turn led to their second goal in the 87th minute courtesy of Castellon and thus, putting the game nearly out of reach for the Knights.
Warner Pac eventually scored their first goal via penalty kick after a Corban foul in the 87th minute. Junior forward Luis Gonzalez converted the lone goal for WPU, yet the two-goal lead the Navy and Gold had built held to the final whistle in their first road win in Portland since 2019. Despite a healthy halftime advantage in shots, the Knights only led the Warriors by two shots (11-9) in the second half, showcasing great offensive adjustments from Corban after halftime.
Davidson continued to impress in his first season with the Warriors with eight saves and just one goal allowed via a late penalty kick goal. James, Garcia, freshmen defender Oswaldo Cerda Pacheco, and graduate student defender Landon Moore commanded the Warriors backline in the matchup, and all played the full 90 minutes. Lopez led with five shots and was responsible for the Warriors only assist.
Warner Pacific's Gonzalez led the way with five shots, two being on goal, and was the only goal scorer for the Knights. Senior defender Kevil Marin-Mendez and senior defender Ethan Zavala also had multiple shots on goal, while Purvis had two saves and two goals allowed in the 90-minute contest for the Knights.
The Warriors will continue their road stretch as they travel north to Washington's capital to take on The Evergreen State College (3-3-3, 1-3-1) in Olympia, Washington at the Evergreen State Soccer Fields on Friday, October 9th at 3pm.
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