Box Score Photo by: Tony Leon/ActionWestPhotography.com
CLAREMONT, Calif. – The Whittier College men's soccer team took to the field days after the original date to play was canceled due to inclement weather. Underneath clear skies, the Poets fought hard but were unable to pull out the win as they fell 1-0 to the Sagehens of Pomona-Pitzer.
Early on it was clear that the match was destined be a defensive battle with the Sagehens ultimately doing a better job of executing to pick up their seventh victory of the season and their sixth in SCIAC play.
For the season, the Poets drop to 4-7 and 4-4 in SCIAC action.
Whittier played tough the entire game despite being without leading scorer Srdan Jovanovic who was out due to an injury.
For the game, Whittier outshot the Sagehens 8-4 and had more corner kicks for the game 7-3. From these numbers you can tell Whittier was the more aggressive team and had numerous opportunities to score but was unable to connect.
The Sagehens got on the scoreboard first in the 12th minute as Lawrence McDonald put away a ball past an outstretched Poet goalkeeper David Diaz after receiving a ball off of a cross from Danny Nasry.
After this goal, the Poets picked up the offensive attack and began playing more up tempo. The best chance the Poets had at tying the game came late in the first half in the 37th minute when senior Sam Russell got to a rebound at the top of the box after a shot attempt from Adolfo Santos was blocked. Russell had a clean look at the goal, but the Sagehen goalkeeper barely tipped it past the right post for a corner.
A second chance also presented itself to Whittier in the first half when a goal was called back off of a corner kick from Patricio Carregha. Carregha put a beautiful ball into the box for the purple and gold to finish but it was called back due to goalkeeper interference.
Whittier looks to get back over .500 in the SCIAC as they travel to take on the Beavers of the California Institute of Technology Wednesday, October 12 beginning at 4pm.
