Oregon State
Portland
OSU Shoots Down No. 10 Pilots, 2-1
September 19, 2000 | Men's Soccer
Sept. 19, 2000
CORVALLIS, Ore. - - Josh Elbaum and Matt Olsen each booted a goal in a span of just over two minutes to give the Oregon State men's soccer team an upset victory over No. 10 Portland in non-league action at Lorenz Field at Valley Stadium on Tuesday evening.
OSU (4-3-0), trailing 1-0, scored the tying goal at 59:37 when Josh Elbaum on the right side. Elbaum then drove the ball back to the far post from 10 yards out past a diving Curtis Spiteri.
Boosted by the momentum swing, the Beavers kept up the pressure and hit paydirt when Olsen gained control of a loose ball behind the defense in the middle of the penalty box and went one-on-one for OSU's winning goal at 60:39.
The win marked just the second time in OSU men's soccer history that the Beavers have defeated the Pilots, their previous win came in 1994 when OSU beat Portland 2-0 in Corvallis. The all-time series record now stands at 2-10-0.
"(Oregon State Director of Athletics) Mitch Barnhart has been talking to all these players from day one, and his number one point is that he wants every one of these players to come out of here with a mountain-top experience," OSU head coach Dana Taylor said. "This game was huge in many ways. Portland is in our backyard and we recruit against them, so we have to compete against them."
After a scoreless first half, the Pilots (4-1-1) took advantage of an OSU misalignment on a free kick to put the first goal on the board at 51:49 when Brandon McNiel scored from just outside the top of the penalty box.
In a physical game that produced seven yellow cards and one red card, the Beavers controlled the flow by keeping the ball low on the ground and reducing Portland's height advantage.
"What was pleasing was that Portland was big and strong, but our players knew their assignments and they worked through it and kept control of the game," Taylor said. "We put the shots away when we had to, and we finished very well today."
The Beavers have dealt with pressure situations throughout the season, as they have played in five games decided by one goal thus far.
"All year long, every game we've been in has been a tight game," Taylor said. "I was very pleased with our guys' composure."
Freshman goalkeeper Peter Billmeyer played a commanding game in goal for the Beavers, as he came up with four saves on the day in addition to stifling several crossing passes from the Pilot attackers.
Offensively, Olsen led the Beavers with his goal and assist in addition to two shots. Elbaum had three shots as well as a goal. Olsen raised his point total to six for the season, while Elbaum has five.
Portland, who had two goals taken off the board due to offsides calls, is ranked 10th in the National Coaches poll, but is ranked as high as third in two other polls.
The Beavers will look to carry their momentum over to the weekend when they travel to Cal-Santa Barbara and Cal State-Northridge for games on Friday and Sunday, respectively.
"This was a great effort from all of the players," Taylor said. "We're definitely excited for the program and the players."
OREGON STATE 2, PORTLAND 1
Scoring by halves:
Portland 0 1 - 1
Oregon State 0 2 - 2
Scoring:
UP - Ryan McNiel (unassisted), 51:49. OSU - Josh Elbaum (Matt Olsen), 59:37. OSU - Matt Olsen (unassisted), 60:39.
Summary:
SHOTS: Portland 14, Oregon State 11. CORNER KICKS: Portland 6, Oregon State 8. SAVES: Portland 2, Oregon State 4. FOULS: Portland 18, Oregon State 19.
Yellow Cards:
UP - Miguel Luna, 22:30, OSU - Josh Elbaum 22:30, OSU - Aaron McHardy 69:04, OSU - Alex Close 72:12, OSU - Christian vanBlommestein 81:16, UP - Matt Jaqua 81:16, UP - Ben Leedy 85:05.
Red Cards: OSU - Alex Close 72:40.
