Box Score Photo by: Tony Leon/ActionWestPhotography.com
REDLANDS, Calif. – The Whittier College men's soccer team upset the Bulldogs of the University of Redlands 3-1 Wednesday evening halting their losing streak against the Bulldogs at six, dating back to September 16, 2009 when the Poets won 2-1 in overtime.
The Poets gave Redlands their second loss this season in SCIAC play and now improve to 5-7, 5-3 SCIAC moving into 3RD place in the SCIAC standings behind Claremont-M-S and Pomona-Pitzer.
In a back-and-forth opening half, Whittier got on the board first when freshman forward Pablo Gomez whipped in a corner kick in the 40th minute that was tapped in by sophomore midfielder Matthew Evans giving the Poets a one goal advantage.
Despite having an advantage in corner kicks, Redlands was still unable to find the equalizer helping Whittier take their one goal advantage into the half.
Coming out of intermission the Poets doubled their lead just minutes into the second stanza when junior midfielder Brian Russell hit a free kick into the box where senior forward Srdan Jovanovic one-timed the cross into the back of the net.
But Redlands answered with a goal from Matej Kustura in the 57th minute pulling the Bulldogs within one after he buried his first goal of the season that came off of a pass from forward Alex Laughton.
The Poets then regained their two goal advantage eleven minutes later when freshman Dylan Fortin drew a penalty kick, which Jovanovic struck into the left corner of the goal that extended the Whittier lead to 3-1.
Despite a strong push by Redlands, Whittier's defense forced the Bulldogs to shoot from long distances in the final 18 minutes of play, where they were unable to find the back of the net helping Whittier preserve the two goal victory.
In the second half, Redlands out-shot the Poets 16-9, en route to a 25-21 margin for the match. Jovanovic led the Poets with five shots with all five being on goal, while senior goalie David Diaz recorded his fifth win of the season playing all 90:00 recording eight saves.
"Redlands is always a tough place to come and compete, but tonight we tried to focus on playing to our strengths and giving the performances we knew we could. They have a massive field, the largest in the conference and we were able to use that space against them by working very hard to get behind the defensive line. We're excited to be rewarded with a positive result and look forward to playing Chapman at home on Saturday at the Cage," explained Head Coach Shea Harwell.
Whittier looks to build upon this upset victory as they start their second trip throughout SCIAC play as they host the Panthers of Chapman University Saturday, October 6 beginning at 1:00pm.
