PORTLAND, Ore. – Eastern Oregon men's soccer opened Cascade Collegiate Conference play with a 2-1 road victory over Warner Pacific on Friday afternoon. The Mountaineers (4-0-2, 1-0 CCC) remained unbeaten on the year, building a two-goal lead before fending off a late rally by the Knights.
EOU took the lead in the 19th minute as forward Marcos Bravo scored his second goal of the season off an assist from Daniel Kropf. The Mounties extended their advantage early in the second half when midfielder JJ Gallardo found the back of the net in the 51st minute.
The Knights (4-2-0, 0-1 CCC) pulled one back in the 82nd minute when Bodo Calderon converted the rebound of a penalty kick to make it 2-1, but EOU's back line held firm in the closing minutes.
Eastern Oregon outshot Warner Pacific 15-12, with seven of their attempts landing on target. Goalkeeper Anthony Lemus had a strong showing in net, making seven saves and earning the win despite being issued a yellow card in the 85th minute.
With the win, Eastern Oregon remains unbeaten and will continue conference play on Sunday, Sept. 21, at Walla Walla University at 1 p.m.
