Box Score Photo by: Tony Leon/ActionWestPhotography.com
LOS ANGELES – With just 22 seconds left
in the second overtime, Occidental headed home the first and only
goal of the game in a 1-0 win over the Whittier College men's
soccer team on Monday afternoon.
Whittier (7-6-1, 5-4-1 SCIAC) and the Tigers (5-7-2, 5-3-2
SCIAC) played an even game statistically as each side got off 19
shots with eight going on frame. Corners were even at five apiece
while Occidental held 9-8 advantage in saves.
The game winning goal came at 109:38 and was a rebound off a
David Diaz save. Diaz denied Occidental's
Ian Silverness but couldn't control the rebound and Douglas
Pentland found the back of the net. The Tigers had three shots on
Diaz in a 20 second span.
Whittier managed just one shot in the second overtime but had an
opportunity in the first 10 minutes of extra time to find the game
winner. Adolfo Santos got a head on the ball in
the 98th minute but was turned away by Occidental keeper Chris
Liotta.
Santos led the game with seven total shots. His three shots on
goal were also a game-high.
Thomas Barber, Srdan
Jovanovic, Shea Harwell and
Jonathan Palomino joined Santos as the Poets who
had a shot on goal.
The game was originally scheduled for September 29 but was
rescheduled due to inclement weather.
With just four games remaining in the regular-season, the Poets
sit in fourth place in the Southern California Intercollegiate
Athletic Conference. Whittier will travel to Pasadena, Calif., on
Wednesday afternoon to face Caltech before returning home to host
Occidental on Saturday afternoon.