LA GRANDE, Ore. – Saturday afternoon was Senior Night for Eastern Oregon Men’s Soccer, recognizing Faris Ceranic, Carlos Murillo, Chris Quintero, Jodanni Osuna, Rudy Salinas-Solorio, and Yonas Mekonnen for their significant contributions to the program.
On the pitch, Eastern Oregon and Corban battled in a back-and-forth matchup that ultimately concluded in a 2-2 draw.
Eastern Oregon displayed offensive dominance by racking up a whopping 24 shots, eight of which were on target, compared to Corban’s 6 shots, three on goal. Corban’s defense was spearheaded by goalkeeper Isaac Pureco, making a significant impact with 6 crucial saves and keeping their team in the contest.
The scoring began early when Samuel Montes found the net for Corban in the 5th minute, assisted by Irwin Leon. Eastern Oregon retaliated with two consecutive goals. Daniel Kropf equalized in the 41st minute with an assist from Yonas Mekonnen, followed by Kropf once again scoring just seconds before half. Just when it looked like Eastern Oregon would seal the win, Bryan Nicolas netted a dramatic late equalizer for Corban in the 90th minute, thanks to an assist from Cade Ficek.
Five yellow cards were handed out during the game – three to Corban’s Bryan Nicolas, Riley Menezes, and Isaac Pureco, and two to Eastern Oregon’s Yonas Mekonnen and Zhengning Lu.
In terms of statistics, Eastern Oregon led in corner kicks, with seven to Corban’s two. Fouls were also a prominent feature of the match, with Eastern Oregon committing 14 compared to Corban’s 6.
Goalkeeping played a significant role in the result. Isaac Pureco of Corban managed 6 saves out of 8 shots on goal, while Eastern Oregon’s Kevin Pullara saved 1 out of the 3 shots he faced.
Eastern Oregon will travel across the state to Warner Pacific University next Friday, set to kickoff at 12:00 p.m.
