Box Score Photo by: Tony Leon/ActionWestPhotography.com
Article by: Max Klein
WHITTIER, Calif. - The Whittier College men's soccer team delivered another strong performance Monday night, earning a hard fought 2-1 victory over Occidental College to open Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) play.
"We battled well against a team that wanted to show they were stronger from a year ago," Senior left back Willie O'Malley (Gig Harbor, WA) said after the game. "We linked up well in attack to create opportunities" added Senior Matt Evans (Bury St. Edmunds, England). "Defensively we were sound, apart from the goal. All in all, a good performance."
The Poets looked dangerous from the start, holding possession and getting the ball into good spots from which to attack. They continued to test the Oxy defense, with keeper Tristan Cooper being called upon to make an acrobatic save from a cross sixteen minutes in.
Whittier continued their surge forward until the 21st minute when they won a free kick 22 yards out. Senior Brian Russell (Torrance, Calif.) stepped up to take the kick and proceeded to put the ball in the back of the net to put the Poets up 1-0.
Offensively, Occidental struggled to get much going in the first half, but looked to threat from a few counter attacks, particularly in the 12th minute when O'Malley was called upon to make a splendid tackle to relieve the pressure.
The Tigers came out buzzing in the 2nd half, putting pressure on Whittier's defense for the first ten minutes. Sophomore Goalkeeper Jorge Rivas (Lake Forest, Calif.) made a spectacular save in the 51st minute to keep the lead intact.
The tables began to turn shortly thereafter, with the Poets taking back control of the game. Passing the ball with skill, Whittier created numerous chances for themselves, constantly putting strain on Oxy's back line.
The Tigers made a strong play to put the ball on goal in the 79th minute, but again Rivas came away with a big save. The Poets then gained possession and immediately started prodding the Tigers defense. Evans collected a throw in that started a beautiful passage of play, which included a sublime flick from Senior Tyler Crough (Fresno, Calif.), which ended with a finish from Senior Devin Guthrie (Huntington Beach, Calif.) to give the Poets a two goal lead.
As it happened, that cushion would become necessary in the 88th minute when a deflection from yet another brilliant save from Rivas fell to Tiger Morgan Bennett-Smith who cut the lead down one goal with a few minutes to play.
As they did this past Friday, the Poet defense held strong in the waning moments to see off desperate attempts from the Tigers to find an equalizer. The win moves the Purple and Gold to 3-0 and 1-0 in SCIAC play. They return to action this Wednesday, September 10 at 7:00pm, when they host Chapman University.
