WHITTIER, Calif. (Sept. 17, 2025) – The Whittier College men's soccer team stayed unbeaten (5-0-1) on the year, battling the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges Stags to a 1-1 draw in the SCIAC opener on Wednesday night at Memorial Stadium.
Freshman forward Guillermo Ramirez (Ripon, Calif. / Central Catholic) made an early impact off the bench in the 31st minute, pouncing on a deflection and burying his third goal of the season. Junior forward Nils Degardin (Paris, France / Lake Washington) was credited with the assist, threading the initial ball that created the scoring chance.
The match lived up to the intensity of a conference opener, with both teams trading paint throughout the contest with physical play at all areas of the pitch. Despite the physicality, the Poets' defensive unit held strong. Center backs Connor Gilmore (Los Angeles, Calif. / University High / Santa Monica College) and Ben Harrison (Salt Lake City, Utah / Olympus) anchored the back line, while right back Anthony Dolce (Salt Lake City, Utah / East) turned in a gritty performance while battling through knocks.
Junior goalkeeper Jake Marks (London, England / Immanuel College / D'Youville University / Columbia College) was sharp once again, recording four saves and keeping the Purple & Gold in control until the penalty kick.
Head Coach Shea Harwell's side held even with the reigning SCIAC Tournament champion Stags across the stat sheet, as both teams finished with 10 shots apiece. The Poets also generated more pressure in the second half, earning four of their five corner kicks in the second half while holding CMS to just five shots on frame.
With the result, Whittier moves to 5-0-1 on the season. Harwell and the Poets continue SCIAC play at home on Saturday, Sept. 20, when they host University of California, Santa Cruz at 7 p.m. under the lights at Memorial Stadium.
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