WHITTIER, Calif. (Sept. 14, 2024) – The Whittier College men's soccer team, buoyed by a penalty kick goal from junior midfielder
Rowan Slater (Fort Collins, Colo. / Poudre) in the first half, competed to a 1-1 draw with Stanton University at Memorial Stadium on Saturday evening.
The Poets and Elks competed in a physical affair over the full 90 minutes that saw the Elks pile up seven yellow cards, four of which came in the first half. The foul in question came when freshman forward
Owen Nance (Salt Lake City, Utah / East) was taken down in the box, setting Whittier up for a change to take the lead in the 47th minute just out of the break. Slater, an attacking midfielder, took the penalty chance and sent it home into the right side of the net with little trouble to stake his side to the lead.
Whittier defended well for the vast majority of the game, with freshman defender
Ben Harrison (Salt Lake City, Utah / Olympus) performing well with an increased workload all over the Poets' back line. Meanwhile, scoring chances continued to present themselves for the Poets, with Slater and freshman forward
Mikael Naesheim (Stavanger, Norway / Hetland) finding opportunities in front of the Elks' net. However, the Elks finally broke through with less than three minutes remaining in the game, prompting Whittier to bring the heat over the final three in an attempt to make some magic and regain the lead. Slater came up with the Poets' big chance on the initial possession, but the magic was not to be as the Poets left Memorial Stadium still unbeaten in 2024, but with their second draw of the campaign. Senior
Anthony Chavoya (Fullerton, Calif. / Valencia / San Diego Christian College) played the full 90 minutes between the pipes and gave a great account of himself with six saves over the entire game.
Head Coach
Shea Harwell and the Poets enter SCIAC play with a respectable 2-0-2 record with wins against Albion College and Bethesda University and ties against the University of California, Santa Cruz and Stanton University. They will open the SCIAC slate that will determine their postseason future against Pomona-Pitzer Colleges on Wednesday, Sept. 18 in Whittier.
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