PORTLAND, Ore.| Men's soccer stayed perfect on the season thanks to a 3-1 win over Evergreen on Friday.
The game got off to an unusual start for the Knights as they allowed an Evergreen goal in the 3rd minute of play. The Knights took over from there, dominating possession of the ball and firing shot after shot towards the net.
The offensive pressure paid off for the Knights when Andrew Martinez tied the game up in the 7th minute with help from Erik Mattice assisted the goal.
The Knights continued to control the game after the goal from Martinez. Warner attempted 15 shots in the first half, and thanks to a strong performance in net from Evergreen's Colin Hauser, the game remained tied going into halftime.
Andrew Martinez struck again in the 56th minute off of an assist from Alain Murhula to give the Knights their first lead of the game. The duo of Murhula and Martinez weren't done however, as Alain scored in the 63rd minute off of an assist from Andrew Martinez. The goal would bring the game to its final score of 3-1 in favor of Warner.
Mild controversy broke out surrounding a sequence involving Sun Tenorio's penalty kick in the 77th minute.
Tenorio's penalty kick was blocked by Evergreen's goalkeeper and ricocheted back out towards Tenorio who was near the left post. Tenorio attempted a shot off the rebound which went through a hole in the net and out of the back of the net.
Warner thought they had a goal and it appeared that one of the refs on the field signaled for a goal, before being overruled by another ref who said the ball went through a hole in the net on the side of the goal. Despite protests from players, the shot was ruled not a goal and the game remained 3-1.
It's difficult to overstate how much Warner was able to control possession throughout the game. Relentless offense and a strong defense allowed Warner to attempt a whopping 28 shots, with 20 of them being on goal. In comparison, the Geoducks were held to four shots on the game, 3 of which were on goal.
The win continues the Knights' perfect season and puts them at 13-0. Men's soccer is back in action on Oct. 15 when they take on Northwest University at Eastside Timbers.