Box Score Photo by: Tony Leon/ActionWestPhotography.com
WHITTIER, Calif. – The Whittier College men's soccer team saw their three game winning streak come to close Wednesday evening as they dropped a 2-1 decision to the Kingsmen of Cal Lutheran University to drop their record to 4-2.
Cal Lutheran's Cameron Rude knocked in the go ahead goal in the 61st minute using a garbage goal to push CLU to the victory. A shot was put on frame against goalie David Diaz but he was unable to hold on as Rude came in to knock in the rebound.
Whittier snaps their three game SCIAC winning streak and drops to 4-6, 4-2 SCIAC, while Cal Lutheran improves to 5-3, 3-1 SCIAC.
The Poets got on the board first once again for the fourth straight game getting a goal from Adolfo Santos who was awaiting a cross from Dylan Fortin in the box and struck it out of the air right at Kingsmen goalkeeper Jack Duncan who saw the ball trickle away from him and into the bottom right corner of the goal.
This put Whittier in front 1-0 but it was short lived as CLU's Matt Hubbard found the equalizer in the 36th minute when he wound up getting a ball stuck between his legs in the box, which he carried past a Poet defender and struck from atop the box into the top portion of the goal that evened the score going into the half.
Coming out of the break Whittier started off aggressively getting two good looks on goal from Matthew Evans followed by an open net opportunity by Srdan Jovanovic who struck a shot off the far post. But a minute later Cal Lutheran came down the field in transition and knocked in the go ahead goal from Rude after he tapped in the rebound off of Diaz.
From that point on Whittier picked up the tempo and speed of the game but was unable to convert. In the second half tempers also began to flare as a combined five cards were issued (3 Yellows, 1 Red) with the red being issued to Whittier's Devin Guthrie for unsportsmanlike conduct in the 71st minute that forced the Purple & Gold to play a man down the rest of the game. Guthrie will also miss Whittier's next contest, a conference match-up with the Stags of Claremont-M-S on Saturday.
Despite being at a disadvantage, Whittier had quality looks on goal in the final minutes of play getting back to back shots on goal from Fortin and Lucas Depinna but they were both turned away from Duncan who finished with 12 saves on 24 shots.
In the final six minutes of action in a last ditch effort Whittier put three more shots on goal with two coming from Evans and one from Brian Russell but they were unable to even the game up allowing Cal Lutheran to hold on for the one goal victory.
Whittier will return to conference action as they travel to take on the Stags of Claremont-M-S this Saturday, September 29 beginning at 1:00pm.
