LOS ANGELES, Calif. (Sept. 24, 2025) – Senior attacking midfielder
Rowan Slater (Fort Collins, Colo. / Poudre) of the Whittier College men's soccer team scored the game-winning, go-ahead goal in the first half of Whittier's 2-0 victory at Occidental College on Wednesday evening. The Poets are now unbeaten with seven wins through eight games and currently stand as the fourth-ranked team in Region X.
Slater buried the go-ahead goal off a nice dish from junior winger
Nils Degardin (Paris, France / Lake Washington), who drew even with Slater for the team lead in assists this season with four. The goal came in the 16th minute and gave the visitors a head of steam to take them over the finish line.
Even with a goal in hand, the Poets did well to keep to pressure on the Tigers, the 2024 SCIAC champions. With three minutes to go in the first half, the Poets struck again with talented international newcomer
Fabian Gluch (Oslo, Norway / Ullern videregående skole) scoring on a pass from
Patrick Nolan (San Francisco, Calif. / Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep). Both players came off the bench to make the successful connection, indicitive of the Poets' incredible depth that has helped key the 7-0-1 start to the campaign.
The Purple & Gold took a 2-0 lead into the half, but despite this, the Tigers came out in the second half like a team with nothing to lose. However, sophomore goalkeeper
Jake Marks (London, England / Immanuel College / D'Youville University | Columbia College), a major difference maker for the Poets this season in between the pipes, made two of his three saves over the final 45 minutes to keep the Tigers off the board and give Whittier its second SCIAC win in three games to start the year.
Head Coach
Shea Harwell and the Poets will look to keep things rolling when they travel to Chapman University on Saturday, Sept. 27 for an 11 a.m. game.
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