OLYMPIA, Wash. – As the sun began to set behind the trees, the Evergreen Geoducks celebrated their third-straight win after defeating the Corban Warriors, 3-1, in a Cascade Conference men’s soccer match on Wednesday evening at Evergreen Pitch in Olympia, Wash.

The Geoducks (3-3-0, 3-0-0 CCC) got on the board in the 16th minute when freshman Willie Spurr (Seattle, Wash./Roosevelt HS) backed up his recent Red Lion CCC Offensive Player of the Week award by juking around a defender for Corban (2-3-2, 1-2-0 CCC) before firing it past Nash Yumauchi for the 1-0 lead.

Spurr nearly scored his fifth goal of the season in the 30th minute as his shot fell at the feet of a Warrior defender, who lost control of the ball as it trickled into the net for an own goal and a 2-0 Evergreen lead heading into halftime.

The Warriors narrowed the gap to just one goal in the 48th minute as Antonio Walker gathered the save from Evergreen’s Collin Harlow (Kirkland, Wash./Shoreline CC) following a Tyler Hagen shot and Walker scored from five yards out for his second of the season.

Evergreen put the nail in the coffin in the 57th minute as junior captain Brady Espinoza (Pasco, Wash./Walla Walla CC) lined up a free kick from about 30 yards out and put the ball into the back of the net for his third goal of the season, all coming on set pieces, as the Geoducks earned the 3-1 win.

With the win, Evergreen moves to 3-0 in conference play for the first time since 2005 as they sit tied atop the table with Concordia and Northwest, who also were victorious on Wednesday.

Corban outshot Evergreen, 16 to 11, on the match and had seven corner kicks but Harlow proved too strong in net, making eight saves to give the Geoducks the win.  Yamauchi finished with two saves for the Warriors, playing all 90 minutes in net.

Evergreen hits the road for the first time this season on Saturday when they travel to Portland to take on Warner Pacific.  First kick with the Knights is set for 5 p.m. at David Douglas High School.  Corban will also be in action on Saturday, traveling to Northwest Christian in a match set for 6 p.m. in Eugene, Ore.

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LA GRANDE, Ore. – Freshman forward Willie Spurr (Seattle, Wash./Roosevelt HS) and junior goalkeeper Collin Harlow (Kirkland, Wash./Shoreline CC) were both named Red Lion Cascade Conference Players of the Week following an outstanding weekend on the pitch as the Geoducks earned a pair of conference wins.

Spurr earned Offensive Player of the Week honors after scoring three goals and assisting on two others to vault himself to the top of numerous conference statistical categories.  The freshman leads the conference in points (8), points per game (1.60), goals (3), and goals per game (0.60).  He scored the equalizer and assisted on the game-winning goal in a 2-1 win over College of Idaho on Friday and then scored the first two goals and assisted on another in a 5-0 win over Oregon Tech on Saturday.

Harlow was named Defensive Player of the Week after allowing just one goal in 180 minutes for the Geoducks.  Making his Evergreen debut, the lone goal allowed came on a penalty kick in the 2-1 win over College of Idaho and then the 6-3 junior made five saves to secure the shutout on Saturday in the 5-0 win over Oregon Tech. His 0.50 GAA and .857 save percentage are both tops in the CCC this season.

The Geoducks will look to improve to 3-0 in Cascade Conference play for the first time since 2005 when they play host to Corban on Wednesday, beginning at 5:00 p.m. on Evergreen Pitch in Olympia, Wash.

OLYMPIA, Wash. – Freshman Willie Spurr (Seattle, Wash./Roosevelt HS) and senior Mirza Memic (Bellevue, Wash./Whatcom CC) each scored twice as the Evergreen Geoducks picked up their second win in as many tries with a 5-0 victory over the Oregon Tech Owls in a Cascade Conference men’s soccer match on Saturday afternoon at Evergreen Pitch in Olympia, Wash.

Spurr scored his first goal of the game in the 12th minute after a deflection from OIT keeper Loren Jessen gave the freshman a chance to try out his bicycle kick and the fancy attempt was successful as Evergreen took the 1-0 lead.

In the 27th minute, Spurr secured the brace, and his third goal of the weekend, following a save on a shot by Kevin Flavin (Oak Harbor, Wash./Shoreline CC), gathering the rebound and finishing open net.  The Geoducks made it 3-0 heading into halftime in the 40th minute when Flavin scored one of his one, using the cross from Brady Espinoza (Pasco, Wash./Walla Walla CC) to finish on the left post.

In the second half, the Owls kept a strong defense for the first 20 minutes but a pair of goals by Mirza within a two-minute span proved to be the nail in the coffin.  Mirza collected his first goal on a great cross from Spurr that allowed the senior to head the ball in for his first score of the season.  Just 1:58 later, Mirza scored again, this time following the pass form Albert Anabtawi (Yakima, Wash./Eisenhower HS).

The Geoducks outshot the Owls, 29-6, on the match.  Evergreen keeper Collin Harlow (Kirkland, Wash./Shoreline CC) made five saves to collect his first shutout as a Geoduck.  Jessen finished with six saves for the Owls before being replaced by Tanner Lee in the 69th minute.  Lee added five saves in the final 21 minutes of play.

Evergreen remains at home on Wednesday evening when they host Corban in a Cascade Conference match.  Kick with the Warriors is set for 5pm on Evergreen Pitch in Olympia.  Oregon Tech will also be in action on Wednesday, playing host to Warner Pacific, beginning at 6pm in Klamath Falls, Ore.

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