LA GRANDE, Ore. – Eastern Oregon University men's soccer capped off a week of victories over College of Idaho with a dramatic 2-1 win Friday night at Community Stadium, as the Mountaineers scored with just eight seconds remaining to secure the third EOU victory over the Yotes this week.
The Mountaineers wasted no time getting on the scoreboard. Just four minutes into the match,
Evan Reyes finished a pass from
Henry Lopez, finding the right corner of the net to give Eastern Oregon an early 1-0 lead. College of Idaho responded with pressure of its own, testing the Mountaineer defense with a high header and a shot on goal that was saved by EOU goalkeeper
Victor Melendez. Eastern Oregon quickly answered, as
Christian Samayoa forced a save from Yotes goalkeeper Yago Gonzalez before Lopez added a shot that sailed wide. The Mountaineers continued to apply pressure, generating several corner-kick opportunities and narrowly missing the goal on multiple attempts. In the 36th minute, however, College of Idaho capitalized on an EOU miscue, with Rodri Garcia-Marina finding the back of the net to level the match at 1-1 heading into halftime.
Eastern Oregon faced adversity early in the second half when Lopez received a red card in the 52nd minute, forcing the Mountaineers to play a man down for the remainder of the match. Despite being down a player, EOU continued to battle and create opportunities. The Mountaineers outshot the Yotes 4-3 in the second half, while goalkeeper
Kevin Pullara came up with a crucial save in the 88th minute to keep the match tied.
With the clock winding down, College of Idaho earned a long free kick and looked to find a late winner. Pullara quickly secured the ball and started the Mountaineers' counterattack, sending the ball upfield. A Yotes defender attempted to clear the ball toward the sideline, but instead sent it directly to an open
Davyd Fedina. With just seconds remaining, Fedina took advantage of the opportunity, firing a shot from 15 yards out into the back left corner of the net with just eight seconds on the clock to give Eastern Oregon the dramatic 2-1 victory.
The Mountaineers finished the night with a 17-7 advantage in shots, including a 5-4 edge in shots on goal, while also holding a 6-2 advantage in corner kicks.
With the win, Eastern Oregon improves to 2-1-5 overall and 2-0-3 in Cascade Collegiate Conference play. College of Idaho falls to 0-4-5 overall and 0-1-4 in conference play. The Mountaineers return to action next Friday, Oct. 9, hosting Rocky Mountain College at 6:30 p.m. PT.
