THOUSAND OAKS, CA. (OCT. 4, 2023)- The men hit the road to Thousand Oaks to take on the California Lutheran University Kingsmen last night. After keeping it close during the first half, the Kingsmen opened it up in the second and eventually topped the Poets 3-0. 

As the first half began, Whittier came out looking to make an early difference. The men continued to fire the ball at the net but none would slip past the Cal Lutheran goalie. The Kingsmen were able to strike first in this match scoring a goal in the 29th minute. Despite this early deficit the Poets actually outshot the Kingsmen 9-7 in the first half. 

Trailing 1-0 going into the start of the second half Whittier was looking to tie the game back up. Unfortunately, the plan did not go as scripted as Cal Lu was able to score a quick goal at the start of the half to extend their lead to 2-0. Both teams then really stiffened up defensively and there were few shots during the remainder of the game. In the 75th minute, the Kingsmen added some insurance to their lead with a third goal and this would end up being the final goal of the game. The Poets had a few late opportunities to scratch and get on the board, but the ball was not flying in the right direction for them tonight. 

Whittier will look to quickly move past this game as they have another tough opponent in the Chapman Panthers on Saturday. The Poets will be traveling to Chapman University to take on the Panthers on Oct. 7 at 1:30 p.m.