Box Score Photo by: Tony Leon/ActionWestPhotography.com
WHITTIER, Calif. - In a game that was filled with controversy, disputed calls, altercations, tough soccer, and a raucous crowd of almost 200, the University of La Verne was able to come away with the 1-0 victory over the Whittier College Poets at the Donald E. Graham Soccer Field.
The Whittier College men's soccer team fought and played well the entire night but came up short in a 1-0 loss to the Leopards. Whittier now runs their record to 4-6 overall and 4-3 in SCIAC play.
La Verne netted the game winner in the 46th minute as Ryan Estrada tapped in a ball that deflected off of Poet goalkeeper David Diaz. That put La Verne up 1-0 and gave them a lead they would not relinquish.
Whittier for the game outshot La Verne 12-9 and outshot them 10-5 in the first half controlling the game from the beginning to the end. In a game that included five yellow cards, a red card, and two altercations between players that almost cleared the benches, Whittier was still unable to come away with the victory.
At the beginning of the game, Whittier took six shots before La Verne gathered one and had a great opportunity to get on the scoreboard first when Adolfo Santos and Sam Russell put back to back shots on goal that were saved and blocked by Leopard goalkeeper Richard Duran.
Jonathan Palomino then had an open look at the goal in the 28th minute as Duran was forced out of the goal. Palomino lifted the ball over the goalkeeper but it wasn't hard enough as Leopard defenders were able to kick it away before it crossed the goal line.
Santos, Palomino, and Patricio Carregha each took three shots with Santos and Palomino having a combined six on goal.
In the 50th minute, tempers began to flare and Devin Guthrie was issued a yellow card when him and a Leopard player got into a scuffle that got all the players on the field involved, with pushing and shoving occurring. The players then went back to playing soccer until Guthrie two minutes later was tagged with a red card that gave him an immediate ejection from the game forcing Whittier to play with a man down for the rest of the game.
Later in the game, another scuffle occurred when Santos was issued a yellow card for running into the Leopard goalkeeper in the 88th minute causing players to begin chirping with one another.
Despite Whittier controlling all facets of the game including the tempo, La Verne managed to escape the Cage and the Donald E. Graham Soccer Field with a 1-0 victory.
Whittier looks to rebound from the loss as they travel to Pomona-Pitzer Monday, October 10 to take on the Sagehens beginning at 4pm.
