WHITTIER, Calif. (Sept. 11, 2024) – The Whittier College men's soccer team pressured Anaheim's Bethesda University for all 90 minutes, and won a downhill game after finally breaking through in the second half. The Poets beat the Flames, 4-1.
Four different Poets notched goals, though it wasn't until nearly 15 minutes into the second half that they were able to finally leave a mark on the scoreboard. It certainly wasn't for a lack of trying, however, as junior midfielder
Rowan Slater (Fort Collins, Colo. / Poudre) and freshman defenders
Anthony Dolce (Salt Lake City, Utah / East) and
Jack Hindmarsh (Kristianstad, Sweden / Furulund School) all posted quality chances that threatened the Flames early in the game. Whittier went on to out-shoot Bethesda 27-3, and as such dominated possession despite entering the second half at a 1-0 deficit.
Business picked up in the 60th minute when freshman striker
Owen Nance (Salt Lake City, Utah / East) got his side on the board on a pass from Dolce. Dolce garnered his fourth assist of the season on the very next goal on an odd-man rush, streaking down the right side before finding left-side counterpart Hindmarsh, who knocked home the winning goal for the Poets. Two more insurance goals followed soon after. The first came off a corner kick where sophomore forward
Nils Degardin (Paris, France / Lake Washington) found junior
Benjamin Banks (Seattle, Wash. / Edmonds Woodway / Montana State University Billings | Northwest University), who responded with an easy goal in front of the net in his Whittier debut. Whittier further utilized its strength in numbers when they scored off another corner kick, this time with freshman midfielder
Alessandro Seccia (Mission Viejo, Calif. / Pacific Coast) finding
Gustav Lind (Stockholm, Sweden / Bromma Gymnasium) on another goal from point-blank range. Following Lind's 85th minute goal, Whittier would have made it five second-half goals had the team not been whistled for offsides. Nevertheless, the Poets showed they could overcome a first-half deficit.
Goalkeeping duo
Anthony Chavoya (Fullerton, Calif. / Valencia / San Diego Christian College) and
Alex Brown (Redlands, Calif. / Redlands) did well to blank the Flames so long as the ball was in the field of play. Bethesda's only goal of the game came on a penalty kick off a tactical foul late in the first half. Whittier now has 11 goals through three games after scoring 25 all of last season.
Head Coach
Shea Harwell and the Poets will play one more non-conference game on Saturday, Sept. 14 against Stanton University before opening up SCIAC play against Pomona-Pitzer Colleges the following week.
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