 Clark Header Hands Eagles 1-0 Win
Box Score
(10/25/07 - Men's Soccer) IRVINE - All-American Jeff Clark netted his team-leading 9th goal of the season midway through the second half to give #9-ranked Concordia a much-needed 1-0 win over 11th-ranked Point Loma Nazarene, Thursday afternoon in Golden State Athletic Conference play.
"Scoring the goal was a big part of getting back on track," said Clark, who is now one point from matching the Concordia career points record of 103 currently held Kyle Carroll. "We had switched up our play, we weren't scoring goals and we were letting them in, so it was a big goal to move forward and head into regionals."
Following a scoreless first half, the Eagles finally showed the trademark teamwork that had seen them rise to the top of the NAIA rankings. Moving the ball toward the Sea Lions goal, Adrian Martinez played the ball to Clark at the top of the box, where he flicked it down the right wing. Josh Bickel continued his run and picked out Clark with a perfect cross for him to nod across into the left corner.
"We've been struggling and there are some good teams in this league," said head coach Don Ebert, whose team posted a 8-2-0 record in GSAC play for the third-straight season. "When you're in a slump, I think you have to turn to your big guys to pull you out. This is the time, we've been struggling and it was a great goal, not only by Clark but it was a great service from Bickel."
Though the Sea Lions created some tense moments for the Eagles down the stretch, Mike Borst and the defense maintained the clean sheet for their 12th shutout of the season. The Eagles did hold a 8-7 edge in shots, but allowed a 6-5 advantage in corner kicks to the visitors, who also exploited the long throw-ins provided by Jon Fielding.
Concordia (14-2-0, 8-2-0 GSAC) now has nearly a week to prepare for its first round contest in the NAIA Region II Tournament, starting on Wednesday, October 31. The Eagles will more than likely be one of the top four seeds and host at least a first round playoff game.
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