WHITTIER, Calif. (Aug. 30, 2025) – The Whittier College men's soccer team showcased its strength in numbers with a dominant 6-0 trouncing of Nobel University to open the 2025-26 season on Friday evening.
Given the season-opening nature of Friday's game, there was a bit of a feeling out process between the Poets and the Knights before the Purple & Gold finally broke through in the 37th minute. The go-ahead goal belonged to freshman
Guillermo Ramirez (Ripon, Calif. / Central Catholic), who knocked home a picture-perfect centering pass from sophomore outside back
Jack Hindmarsh (Kristianstad, Sweden / Furulund School) on the left side. Hindmarsh used his athleticism to drive down the left side of the field, stopping on a dime to fire a centering pass to Ramirez on the ground that the opposing keeper had no answer for.
The goal would be the Poets' last for the first half, but as far as the second 45 was concerned, the best was yet to come. As the game developed in the second half, Head Coach
Shea Harwell elected to make a series of timely substitutions that led to five Whittier second-half tallies. While Nobel attempted to regain the upperhand by way of physicality in the midfield, the Poets began to repeatedly beat them with skill, in large part thanks to several members of the team seeing their first bit of countable game action of the season.
First, junior
Nicholas Coop (La Mirada, Calif. / La Mirada) showed he can bring an offensive flair to his play in the center midfield, knocking home an easy goal off a nice feed from sophomore
Teodor Hamilton (Stockholm, Sweden / Tibble Gymnasium / Fort Lewis College) on the left side. Nine minutes later, the Poets drew a Nobel foul in the box, leading to junior
Nils Degardin (Paris, France / Lake Washington) banging home the ensuing penalty kick to give the Poets a commanding 3-0 lead with just over 30 minutes to go. Next, sophomore
Adrian Iggstedt (Karlskrona, Sweden / Aspero) connected on a rocket in the 69th minute before assisting on the ensuing goal, a beautiful play from freshman
Nils Lindfors (Stockholm, Sweden / Christinagymnasiet). Finally, the Poets closed scoring for the game when sophomore midfielder
Bobo Andersson (Bjärnum, Sweden / Haessleholms Tekniska Skola) converted on a nice feed from freshman
Elijah Sutherland (San Diego, Calif. / Steele Canyon) to make it a collective six goals for the game.
The Whittier defense faced its most adversity in the first half when the Knights were able to maintain more possession. However, the Poets were able to successfully grind their Buena Park-based opponents down slowly but surely, and the five-goal second half came as a product of the new additions playing loose while the team's returning players demonstrated an ability to do the little things it took to keep the Knights at bay.
Harwell and the Poets will head north for a trio of games this week against Northwest Conference opponents. The road trip kicks off in Portland, Ore. against Lewis & Clark College on Thursday, Sept. 4 at 7 p.m.
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