Kirkland, WA - The Northwest men's team took the win against Oregon Tech on Saturday, 4-1.
Due to the conditions of the NU athletic fields, the game had to be moved to Bellevue College.
It was senior night for the players, and a grand total of 12 players were honored, including Ryan Anderson, Jose Angeles-Ramirez, Brayden Corwin, David Fulga, Michael Kot, Michael Kozorezov, João Fonseca, Elliot Misic, Liam Raney, Daniel Stanczak, Marcus Swanson, and Angel Ventura.
When the game started, the Eagles jumped out front immediately. Swanson came in with a cross that was stopped by the keeper, but Fonseca charged in to pick up the loose change two minutes into the game. The Eagles then took control of the first half with nine corner kicks and eight shots.
The Eagles' second half was even more electric. In the 68th minute, Matthew Ludlow scored his third goal of the weekend, followed up with a goal from Ventura three minutes later. The Owls responded with an 89th-minute goal, but needing one more goal to still be eligible for the tournament, the Eagles got an opportune penalty kick in the final seconds of the game. Liam Raney stepped up and converted to give the Eagles the win.
"Senior day victory was a special day," said Head Coach Gary McIntosh. "We came out with a bang, scoring the first goals within the first minutes of the game, which was great for us—something we haven't been great at this season. It was great to get started off with the first goal by senior João. Then we never took our foot off the gas and found the second and third goals. We needed to have a three-goal differential, so after OIT scored, making it 3 to 1, it was great to see us battle the last minutes of the game all the way down to the last second. Then to see senior Liam step up and take the PK and score was pretty special. What a great way to end our season."
Despite the excellent finish, the Eagles failed to make the CCC Tournament. The Eagles needed Multnomah to lose its game in order to make the dance, but Multnomah drew its match with the College of Idaho, 1-1.
"The overall season was not what everybody wanted," Coach McIntosh continued. "The goal was to make the playoffs, and we didn't reach that goal, which was disappointing. Something about this team, though, is that they never quit. We were down in at least five or six games that we came back and tied or won. This group never quits . . . never gives up. I'm proud of the guys for how they persevered and pushed through these tough moments."
