Box Score Photo by: Tony Leon/ActionWestPhotography.com
CLAREMONT, Calif. – The Whittier College Men's Soccer team picked up a crucial point on the road this past week finishing in a tie with Pomona-Pitzer 1-1.
It was the first tie for the Purple & Gold this season as they improve to 6-3-1, 5-1-1 SCIAC. Pomona-Pitzer moved to 3-6-2, 2-3-1 SCIAC. A combined seven yellow cards and 36 fouls were issued in the game showing how physical it was.
Whittier outshot the Sagehens 18-9, which included a 14-6 effort in regulation. They also held the lopsided advantage on corner kicks at 6-1.
Both goals in the game came in the second half with the Poets getting on the scoreboard first from sophomore Nicolas Barrera (Bellflower, Calif.) in the 68th minute. A free kick from Matt Urata-Espinosa (San Jose, Calif.) would get deflected in the box falling to the feet of Barrera who finished through traffic.
But this lead wouldn't hold as PP would rally to get the equalizer with seven and a half minutes left in the game. A foul would get the Sagehens a free kick deep in the Poets' zone. An ensuing curling ball would find the head of Jorge Guillen-Lopez in the box who put it on frame before being kicked in by Clay Hamilton that tied things up.
In extra time WC had their chances with Parker McDonald (Corona, Calif.) getting a look on frame with a header, which would miss wide. Then in the second OT period Tommy Yarbrough (Encinitas, Calif.) had a chance hitting the side post in the 106th minute followed by Matteo Loi (Kirkland, WA) connecting later in the frame, which would get knocked down by Sagehen keeper Jonathan Rushton.
Teddy Nickerson (Seattle, WA) played all 110:00 minutes and wasn't tested much as he posted three stops against four shots.
