Box Score Photo by: Tony Leon/ActionWestPhotography.com
WHITTIER, Calif. – The Whittier College men's soccer team defeated Cal Lutheran University 3-1 in the friendly confines of the Donald E. Graham Soccer Field in front of 175 fans.
With the win the Poets now run their record to 3-5, 3-2 SCIAC, while the Kingsmen drop to 1-7, 1-3 SCIAC.
Tonight's win was a team effort and Whittier got on the board first as freshman Lucas de Pinna connected for his first goal of his collegiate career from a cross from Adolfo Santos. Santos came down the left side of the field towards the end line and flicked the ball into the box for Depinna to finish with a header that put Whittier up 1-0 early.
Whittier continued to play aggressively on both ends of the field and on the defensive side of the ball Thomas Barber and Matthew Rojas led a Poet defense who were without captain Ian Cromwell who was out due to injury. Despite being outshot 15-13 for the game, the Poets made it very difficult for Cal Lutheran to have good looks on goal.
Whittier held an advantage on corner kicks for the game 5-2 and capitalized on one in the 35th minute in the first half. Junior Jasper Albright took a corner and placed a beautiful ball into the box that went over the outstretched hand of Kingsmen goalkeeper Rey Rivera-Ramos and the head of Srdan Jovanovic for senior Patricio Carregha to knock in for his first goal of the season to put the Poets up 2-0.
Moments before the conclusion of the first half, Cal Lutheran gave the Poets a scare as Danny Kuntz obtained a penalty kick due to a take down he received in the box. This was a critical point for the Kingsmen for them to get on the scoreboard entering the half. But the Poet goalkeeper David Diaz was prepared and as Kuntz made contact, Diaz laid out to his right and made a beautiful save preserving the 2-0 lead entering the half and getting the fans fired up.
Diaz for the game finished with eight saves to run his record to 3-5 on the season.
Coming out of the break, Whittier continued to play an up tempo style of play and it paid dividends as Jovanovic connected three minutes into the second half off of a cross from Carregha. Carregha was able to setup and put a beautiful ball to the far post where Jovanovic was waiting to tap in his third goal of the season.
Cal Lutheran then began playing more physical soccer and started trying to show their presence in the game as Patrick McCoy knocked in his first goal of the season off of a cross from Timo Ros to put the Kingsmen on the board. But that would be their lone goal as Whittier cruised to a 3-1 victory.
The Purple and Gold return to the field as they take on the Tigers of Occidental College, Saturday, October 1 beginning at 11:00am.
