WHITTIER, Calif. (Oct. 9, 2024) – Sophomore goalkeeper
Breckon Robirds (Temecula, Calif. / Chaparral) of the Whittier College men's soccer team dealt with a tough onslaught from the California Lutheran University offense, but handled himself well with six athletic saves at home on Thursday night. Robirds made a particularly tough stop on one of the Kingsmen's top offensive weapons; a powerful strike into the lower right side of the net that the sophomore ultimately turned away.
Another highlight came a bit later in the first half when sophomore forward
Nils Degardin (Paris, France / Lake Washington) hammered a corner kick that nearly resulted in a goal. Attacking teammate
Owen Nance (Salt Lake City, Utah / East) took the ball out of the air and nearly put the home team on the scoreboard. The ball hit the crossbar and ricocheted out, giving the possession to the Kingsmen. Collectively, the Poets took more shots than the Kingsmen, and remained aggressive for the full 90 minutes, regardless of any possession metrics. Freshman defender
Anthony Dolce (Salt Lake City, Utah / East) led the Poets in shooting, with many of his opportunities coming on free kicks. Two of his five shots found a path to the opposing net.
Whittier, 3-4 in SCIAC play, now sits fifth in the SCIAC standings. The Poets would qualify for a SCIAC Postseason Tournament berth under the new format.
Head Coach
Shea Harwell and the Poets will look to right the ship on the road this Saturday, Oct. 12 when they travel to Chapman University for a 7 p.m. game.
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