VANCOUVER, WA—Sometimes a bunch of people get together and realize they have a lot in common. Imagine being on the Corban Warriors or Southern Oregon Raiders men’s university soccer teams and looking across the pitch before their recent Cascade Collegiate Conference championship match. What do they see? Plenty of people they know who are connected via Vancouver Victory Football Club.
We’ll highlight just a few former Victory folks who were a part of that historic overtime match on November 6.
The head coaches on both sides were former Vancouver Victory head coaches! The Victory’s first-ever gaffer was Biniam Afenegus. He brought his Southern Oregon Raiders into the Final flying high after a slow start. His counterpart on the Corban sidelines was the guy who took over for him at V2FC, Aaron Lewis. Lewis has made the Warriors an NAIA nationally-ranked power.
On the pitch the Corban squad featured several Victory players from recent seasons: Jordan Farr, Langdon Roscoe, Timur Zhividze, Nate Cheney, Alex Segovia, Jesse Martin, Jordan Moss, Nic Farr (to name some of them.) On the Southern Oregon side were Victory-connected players Ahmon Afenegus and Sean McManamon.
The match was an instant classic. The Raiders’ Victory guys connected first with a goal in the 7th minute of play. It was McManamon assisting a goal by Afenegus.
How would Corban answer? With another Victory connection, naturally. It was Zhividze assisting a Roscoe goal in the 81st minute of play.
The match was eventually won 2-1 in overtime by the Raiders.
The good news is all of these Victory connections and their two schools are not done yet. Both teams are advancing to post season NAIA play. Southern Oregon travels to Georgia while Corban travels to Nebraska.
V2FC wishes all safe travel…and Victory.
