LA GRANDE, Ore. – The 2015 Eastern Oregon University men's soccer season just got a little bit sweeter.
As the clock wound down and the sun faded behind the mountains, the fans at the EOU Soccer Field rose to their feet to celebrate what had been one stellar of an upset, as the Navy and Gold scored twice in the second stanza to upend No. 9 Corban, 2-0.
"After last weekend's games, I feel that the team put an extreme amount of hard work for this enormous game that we had in front of us," said head men's soccer coach Stan Rodrigues. "I'm extremely proud of what our program is accomplishing, and at the end of the day, it should be credited to the entire team and my staff. I'm just lucky to be a part of it."
Photo Gallery - EOU vs. No. 9 Corban
Key Performances
Both junior defender Osvaldo Martinez and junior midfielder Robert Wilson scored goals in the second stanza to push EOU to victory, while junior forward Fredy Rodriguez notched the game's only assist of the day.
In goal, junior keeper Alfredo Lara registered five saves on the day, including some critical denials in the second half to keep Corban scoreless.
The Storyline
A highly intense battle saw 15 shots between the two Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) squads in the opening 45 minutes.
Quamie Dinnall fired a powerful left-footer from straight away in the 4th minute, but Lara was there for the rejection. The Mountaineers' first shot on frame came in the 21st minute on an attempt by junior midfielder Jovan Rojas, but the long arms of Warrior keeper Jordan Farr scooped up any chance of a score.
Corban (13-2, 8-2 CCC) had three more chances to score in a span of 90 seconds, but the two teams rode the scoreless standstill for the remainder of the frame.
EOU caught a break in the 54th minute when Martinez was tripped up in the box to set up the penalty kick situation. Moments later, the Wapato, Wash., native launched a high shot that hit the crossbar and bounced in the goal past Farr to put the Mountaineers on top, 1-0.
Nearly three minutes later, Wilson beat his defender on a pass from Rodriguez and netted the second goal of the contest to send the Mountaineer sideline into elation.
In the final 35 minutes, Lara tallied three tremendous saves for EOU, and the Mountaineers held on for the stunning 2-0 triumph over the Warriors.
"Alfredo Lara was huge today, as well as the entire defensive line," said Rodrigues. "Robert Wilson and Fredy Rodriguez were big for their constant strength on the attack."
Stats of the Game
1st – Win over a top-25 and a top-10 school in EOU men's soccer history.
5 - Saves by Lara.
Up Next
EOU (5-8, 4-7 CCC) will play its final home game of the 2015 campaign tomorrow against Northwest Christian at 3 p.m.
