Corban Men Lose Tough Match vs Whitworth, 2-1
The Warriors (2-2) return to action on September 16 when they open up the conference campaign and host Concordia University (1-1).
(SPOKANE, Wash.) — The Corban University men's soccer team finished its 2014 preseason campaign on Saturday evening with a thrilling back-and-forth match against Whitworth University, and despite a valiant effort, the Warriors came up short against the Pirates in overtime, losing 2-1.
Corban began the game on the front foot, applying early pressure while forcing the Pirates to turn possession of the ball over to the Warriors on a consistent basis. After seeing much of the ball over the course of the first 10 minutes, Corban found the breakthrough it was looking for in the 12th minute of play.
After a throw-in was heaved into the box, sophomore forward Bobby Hutchin (Vancouver, Wash.) did well to get a slight touch on the ball, flicking it to senior midfielder Josh Noonkester (Salem, Ore.). Noonkester made no mistake, burying his shot into the back of the net with his right foot to give the Warriors the early 1-0 advantage. For Noonkester, it was his first goal while donning the Navy and Gold for Corban.
A few minutes later, sophomore midfielder Quamie Dinnall (May Pen, Jamaica) almost doubled Corban's lead when he ripped a left-footed shot on frame, but the Whitworth goalkeeper made a good reaction save with one hand in order to keep Dinnall's shot out of the goal.
Whitworth notched a couple of good looks during the remainder of the half, but did not put any shots on frame.
At the halftime intermission, the shot count was even at 5-5, with each side also tallying one corner kick.
The second stanza began with fast-paced play from both sides, with the Pirates registering a number of opportunities early on. Warrior senior goalkeeper Steven Mason (Santa Rosa, Calif.) was up to the challenge, however, making big save after big save, denying Whitworth from getting on the scoreboard.
Corban registered a few good opportunities of its own early in the second stanza, but none broke down the Pirate defense and resulted in another score.
Whitworth's offensive pressure did ultimately lead to a goal, as Michael Ramos slotted a cross from the right side to Samuel Jarrett who finished with a one-time shot into the back of the net, tying the contest at 1-1 in the 64th minute of play.
With a number of fouls called during the rest of the second half, Corban was issued a red card in the 84th minute, forcing the Warriors to play down a man for the remainder of the contest.
Despite playing with just 10 men, Corban actually had the better of the chances during the final five minutes, and with two minutes left, senior forward Arsinio Walker (Kingston, Jamaica) found Hutchin open in the middle of the box with a centering pass. Hutchin's shot, however, was saved, sending the contest to a golden-goal overtime period.
While registering one good look at goal early in the extra period, Corban was unable to find the game-winning score first. In the seventh minute of overtime, Whitworth's Rylan Berriman dribbled in from the left side of the 18-yard box, moving towards the center of the goal, and eventually blasted a right-footed shot into the upper-right corner of the goal, ending the game with the strike.
"The team competed hard against good teams, in challenging environments, while facing adversity on this trip," commented head men's soccer coach Aaron Lewis. "The result was not what we had hoped today, but I know these recent experiences have refined the team while preparing them for the difficult conference schedule."
On the evening, Whitworth held a 20-13 shots advantage and 4-1 corner-kicks edge. Leading the way offensively for Corban was Dinnall who racked up four shots, while Hutchin tallied three.
In defeat, Mason registered three saves.
The Warriors (2-2) return to action on September 16 when they open up the conference campaign and host Concordia University (1-1).
Kickoff at Warrior Field is scheduled for 4:00 p.m.
Source: Corban Athletics
Watch Josh Noonkester's goal here:
