Oregon State
Gonzaga
Beavers Knock Off Gonzaga 2-1
October 10, 1999 | Men's Soccer
Oct. 10, 1999
CORVALLIS, Ore. - Greg Howes scored twice to help Oregon State to a 2-1 win over Gonzaga in non-league men's soccer Sunday afternoon at Lorenz Field at Valley Stadium. The Beavers (4-6-0 overall, 0-0-0 MPSF Mountain Division) picked up a goal in each half from their senior co-captain to upset the team ranked ninth in the Western Region.
The result was a reversal from last Monday, when OSU fell 2-0 to Gonzaga (6-6-1, 0-1-0 West Coas) in a game on the Bulldogs' home field.
"I was glad we were able to get even," OSU head coach Dana Taylor said. "This game was very similar to the one at Gonzaga. The opportunities we had at the end - a shot just wide, a shot just high - typify our season. It was nice to see us put the ball in the net and do it in front of a great crowd."
The 677 fans on hand saw Howes score his fourth and fifth goals of the year. Those scores give the senior 28 career points, putting him in 10th place on OSU's career scoring list.
"That was a tremendous individual effort by Greg," Taylor said. "It's always great when you get leadership from a senior, and he stepped up and put it in the net twice."
The first score came in the 15th minute, as Justin Kirk sent a cross to the right side of the net and Howes tapped the ball in for a 1-0 Beaver lead. The second goal came in the 70th minute, with Ben Roth pushing the ball in from the left side and Howes firing it inside the near post to make it 2-0.
Gonzaga made it 2-1 in the 78th minute as Jason Kuska ran onto a loose ball in the OSU box and scored. Oregon State held off the Bulldogs the rest of the way, though, as senior goalkeeper Jake Smith picked up the victory with eight saves in his first career start.
"Jake stepped up to the challenge," Taylor said of Smith, who blanked the Bulldogs in the second half of Monday's game. "He's done a wonderful job and he's really given us some confidence."
The win was OSU's first since 1996 over Gonzaga, ending a five-game winless streak in the series. OSU's victory Sunday came over a Bulldog team that beat then-No. 1 Creighton 1-0 on the Bluejays' home field earlier this season and lost to current No. 1 Santa Clara 1-0 on Friday on a goal in the final minutes.
Sunday's result ended Oregon State's non-league schedule, the Beavers now open MPSF Mountain Division play at Denver on Friday and Air Force on Sunday.
OREGON STATE 2, GONZAGA 1
Score by halves:
Gonzaga 0 1 - 1 Oregon State 1 1 - 2Scoring:
OSU-Greg Howes (assist by Justin Kirk), 14:55. OSU-Greg Howes (assist by Ben Roth), 69:01. GU-Jason Kuska (unassisted), 77:26.
Statistics:
SHOTS: Gonzaga 15, Oregon State 14. CORNER KICKS: Gonzaga 4, Oregon State 3. SAVES: Gonzaga 4, Oregon State 8. FOULS: Gonzaga 17, Oregon State 24.
