WHITTIER, Calif. (Sept. 18, 2024) – The Whittier College men's soccer team parlayed an impressive second-half play together with an all-around defensive performance to defeat Pomona-Pitzer Colleges, 1-0, at home on Wednesday night.
The big play came in the 62nd minute on a free kick. Freshman defender
Anthony Dolce (Salt Lake City, Utah / East) has delivered in these situations for the Poets in the preseason, and Wednesday's instance was no exception, as he curled a beautiful free kick towards the Sagehens' net, directly into a crowd of Poets. Sophomore forward
Kevin Bravo (Paramount, Calif. / Paramount) redirected the ball into the opposing net, securing his first goal of the season while crediting Dolce for his fourth assist and first ever against a SCIAC opponent.
From that moment on, the Poets had to contend with an aggressive Pomona-Pitzer offense, though Whittier had no problem showing they could compete with the Sagehens over the full 90 minutes. Pomona-Pitzer did have trouble finding the net on the most opportune scoring chances, with just two of 10 total shots finding a path to Whittier goalkeeper
Breckon Robirds (Temecula, Calif. / Chaparral). The sophomore keeper did well, however, playing the full 90 minutes and making two saves including a crucial stop late in the second half to earn his first SCIAC clean sheet of the season.
The Whittier defense in front of Robirds performed admirably, showing great poise and patience beyond their years. The outside back trio of Dolce, freshman
Jack Hindmarsh (Kristianstad, Sweden / Furulund School) and senior
Dominic Morello (Redwood City, Calif. / Woodside) made life tough on the Sagehens' wings, with the visitors struggling to get anything going on the edge. The win also represents the Poets' first over Pomona-Pitzer in six years, as the last win came on October 24, 2018 in a season where the Purple & Gold triumphed twice over the Sagehens.
Head Coach
Shea Harwell and the Poets will next head to defending SCIAC champion Occidental College for a 7 p.m. game on Saturday, Sept. 21.
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