Oregon State
Portland Nike Invite: OSU v. UC Davis
Beavers Top Aggies to Win Portland Nike Invite
September 02, 2013 | Men's Soccer
CORVALLIS, Ore. – Senior Alex Eckerson's 54th minute goal helped the Oregon State men's soccer team to a 2-0 victory over UC Davis Sunday afternoon at Paul Lorenz Field. WIth the win, the Beavers took first place in the University of Portland Nike Invitational, as the only team to finish with two victories.
“I think this was an improved performance compared to Friday evening [against Cleveland State],” said head coach Steve Simmons. “We're not where we need to be, but we're continuing to learn, and at the same time we're getting results.”
The teams battled to a scoreless first half. The Beavers' best scoring chance of the opening frame came in the 28th minute, when junior Khiry Shelton headed the ball just wide of the target from the left side of the UC Davis box.
Eckerson got Oregon State (2-0-0) on the board early in the second half. The Beaver left-back received a pass from freshman Matt Arbogast, and hit a shot from outside the 18-yard box that curled around the goalkeeper and into the side netting. The tally was Eckerson's first goal since he scored against California on Oct. 14, 2011.
“I've been working all summer on cutting back inside and hitting the ball with my right foot,” Eckerson said. “I just saw the opportunity open up, and I'm glad I found the back of the net.”
UC Davis (0-2-0) came close to leveling the score in the 73rd minute. Aggie forward Kevin Schulte fired a shot from outside the box that was bound for the back of the net, but sophomore goalie Matt Bersano made a diving save to preserve the 1-0 advantage.
Oregon State sealed the game late on with a penalty kick goal from Shelton. Senior forward Borce Atanasov was awarded the penalty after he was pulled down on the left side of the Aggie 18-yard box in the 82nd minute. Shelton proceeded to fire the spot-kick past the goalie to give the Beavers the 2-0 victory.
Despite being outshot 23-12 on the afternoon, the Beavers were able to hold their second-straight clean sheet to open the season, partially thanks to Bersano's eight saves.
“I think defensively we got exactly what we wanted,” Bersano said. “I feel like we did a pretty good job of holding them to low-percentage opportunities. We come away from this weekend with two shutouts at home, so you couldn't really ask for more.”
The Beavers will return to action Friday when they take on Michigan State in their first road match of the season.
