OLYMPIA, Wash. – The Corban University Men's Soccer team fell 1-0 to The Evergreen State College on Friday despite matching the Geoducks with 12 shots and creating several opportunities late in the match. Evergreen (4-3-3, 2-3-1) scored in the eighth minute, but Corban (4-3-2, 1-3-2) increased its offensive pressure after halftime, putting six shots on goal and earning five corner kicks throughout the contest.
"Disappointed with the result. I thought for most of the game we played fairly well, but unfortunately, we didn't finish our chances today," head coach Jordan Keegan said.
Evergreen opened the scoring in the eighth minute when Noah Blake finished from five yards after a cross, giving the Geoducks an early 1-0 advantage. Corban responded with its first corner kick in the 11th minute before junior forward Zachary Milczarek sent a shot high. Junior forward Jesus Mendoza then forced a save from Evergreen goalkeeper Tom Cole in the 14th minute.
Evergreen continued to test Corban redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Rylan Davidson, who made back-to-back saves in the 13th minute, Corban earned another corner kick in the 38th minute but was unable to capitalize. The Warriors nearly tied it up before halftime when freshmen forward Antonio Virrueta put a shot on target, but Cole made another save. Freshmen defender Oswaldo Cerda Pacheco also recorded an attempt that went high as Evergreen carried its 1-0 lead into the break.
Corban created an early second half opportunity when Virrueta forced another save from Cole in the 49th minute. Milczarek added an attempt in the 58th minute, but his shot went high.
The Warriors continued to increase the pressure as the half progressed. Freshmen defender Johnny Garcia forced a save in the 73rd minute, followed by two quick opportunities from freshmen midfielder Abraham Lopez. Cole stopped Lopez's shot on target before the Corban midfielder sent another attempt wide.
Corban continued to push for an equalizer in the final minutes. Milczarek sent a shot wide in the 83rd minute before redshirt junior forward Alvaro Castellon forced another save from Cole. The Warriors then earned three consecutive corner kicks between the 84th and 86th minutes, but Evergreen's defense held Corban off the scoreboard, ending the match 1-0 in favor of Evergreen.
Milczarek led Corban with three shots, while Virrueta recorded two shots and put both attempts on goal. Lopez and Mendoza each added two shots, with one of each player's attempts finding the target. Garcia and Castellon each added one shot on goal as well.
Davidson played all 90 minutes in goal and recorded four saves. As a team, Corban finished with 12 shots, six of which were on goal, and five corner kicks. The Warriors increased their offensive production after halftime, recording eight of their 12 shots in the second half.
Evergreen was led by Blake, who scored the game's only goal and finished with four shots, including three on goal. Markus Winkler-Cook recorded two shots and an assist, while Daniel Aguilar Fuentes also added an assist on the same play. Evergreen goalkeeper Cole made six saves to preserve the shutout.
The Warriors will look to bounce back Saturday, October 10th when they travel to Kirkland, Washington to face Northwest University. Kickoff is scheduled for 3pm.
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