CALDWELL, Idaho – For more than 66 minutes, The College of Idaho stood toe-to-toe with No. 22 Rocky Mountain (MT) in a tense Cascade Collegiate Conference showdown. But one moment of quality proved to be the difference as the Battlin' Bears escaped Simplot Stadium with a 1-0 victory Saturday afternoon.
The match was a physical, hard-fought battle from the opening whistle, with Rocky Mountain entering the contest unbeaten and nationally ranked. Despite facing one of the top teams in the NAIA, the Yotes kept the visitors off the scoreboard throughout the first half thanks to a strong defensive effort and several key saves from goalkeeper
Yago Gonzalez.
Rocky Mountain controlled much of the possession and pressure, finishing with a 16-6 advantage in shots and a 5-3 edge in corner kicks. The Battlin' Bears put five shots on target, forcing Gonzalez into four saves, including three critical first-half stops that kept the match scoreless heading into halftime.
The breakthrough finally came in the 67th minute when Fynn Sweeting found space in the attacking third and converted a pass from Manny Mendez, producing the lone goal of the match at the 66:11 mark.
The Yotes immediately pushed for an equalizer. Defender
Greyson Pew led The College of Idaho with three shots, while
Alfie Roffey,
Mitch Cameron, and
Tyler Swartz each placed attempts on goal. However, Rocky Mountain goalkeeper Biruk Paulos-Negatu was equal to the challenge, making three saves to secure the shutout.
A bright spot for the Yotes was the continued play of Gonzalez, who turned aside four shots and helped withstand constant pressure from a dangerous Rocky Mountain attack. Defensively, The College of Idaho blocked numerous chances and kept the match within reach until the final whistle despite facing 16 total shots.
For the Battlin' Bears, Henry Chalkley was a constant threat, recording a match-high six shots with three on goal, while Fynn Sweeting provided the decisive finish. Manny Mendez added the assist on the game-winner as Rocky Mountain improved to 7-0-3 overall and 5-0-1 in conference play.
Despite the result, the Yotes battled one of the conference's premier programs to the final minutes and nearly found a breakthrough in the second half before the visitors' defense slammed the door shut. The College of Idaho moves to 1-4-5 overall and 1-1-4 in CCC action.
The Yotes will return to the road on Oct. 16, traveling to Klamath Falls to take on Oregon Tech at 3:30 p.m. MT.
