The Warrior men’s soccer team improved to 2-1 in conference play on Saturday afternoon as the team scored a pair of goals in the second half to tie the game. They went on to get the golden goal about five minutes into OT to defeat Emmaus Bible College 3-2 in Ankeny, IA. With the win, the Warriors have now won two in a row.
“This was a good game to test our resolve and focus,” Warrior Head Coach Jayke Maples said. “We left campus very early this morning, but I was proud of the way the team traveled and prepared to play. Emmaus played well defensively, and we found it difficult to find goals. Our ball movement improved in the second half, and the game opened up for us.”
In the opening minutes, the Warriors possessed the ball ok, but they were challenged. It was a great test for the Warrior midfield as the CU offense was forced wider and they experienced a lot of ball pressure. CU had to make some adjustments to the great defense EBC was playing. The adjustments helped offensively as several players each had chances on frame early on, but the Emmaus defense held strong. The Warriors were able to keep the Eagle’s offense at bay and kept pressuring the EBC net with shots. Still, the team couldn’t find the back of the net as the first half ended as it began tied 0-0.
In the second half, the Warriors and Eagles came out looking for the game’s first goal. Less than eight minutes into the half, the Eagles finally broke through and scored to put EBC up 1-0. The Eagles tried to come right back for more, but the Warriors did a good job of consistently dispossessing the Eagles and turning possessions into quick counterattacks to look for the tie.
Twelve minutes into the second half Jeovany Castillo flipped the ball into space to Cobi Keel that allowed Keel to score a nice goal to tie the game 1-1. After Emmaus went up 1-2, Kobe Borden was able to score CU’s second goal off a penalty kick as the second half was in the closing minutes.
As the second-half whistle blew, both teams were struggling with heat cramps and CU started the OT period looking for the golden goal. With five minutes remaining in the first OT, Keel found a breakaway that led to a disappointing tackle, and then a corner kick. Keel executed a terrific corner kick to Castillo who rifled a shot past the goalie for the win.
Next up, the Warriors will be at home again on Tuesday afternoon as they face Kansas Christian College at home.
