PASADENA, Calif. – The Poets traveled to Pasadena on Wednesday evening to take on the Caltech Beavers and came away with a hard-fought 2-1 victory.
The match opened at a fast pace, with both teams creating scoring opportunities in the early minutes.
Goalkeeper Diego Saldivar was tested almost immediately, making two saves within the first four minutes to keep the Beavers off the scoreboard.
Ten minutes later, Saldivar came up big once again, recording two more stops to deny Caltech an early advantage.
With both sides exchanging offensive pressure, Whittier broke through first in the 30th minute. Fabian Gluch fired a shot past the Beavers' goalkeeper for his second goal of the season, giving the Poets a 1-0 lead.
Whittier generated one more scoring opportunity before the break and entered halftime holding a one-goal advantage.
The Beavers came out aggressively in the second half, challenging the Poets' defense with three shots within the opening 15 minutes.
Caltech eventually capitalized in the 78th minute, finding the back of the net to even the score at 1-1.
Whittier quickly looked to regain control, with Patrick Nolan and Teodor Hamilton each attempting shots that were blocked by the Beavers' defense.
With just five minutes remaining in regulation, the Poets delivered the decisive blow. Hamilton found the back of the net in the 85th minute for his first goal of the season, putting Whittier ahead 2-1. Nicholas Coop provided the assist on the game-winner.
As the final minutes ticked away, Whittier's defense held firm, shutting down Caltech's late efforts to secure the road victory.
The Poets held a 4-3 advantage in corner kicks, while Saldivar delivered an impressive performance between the posts, finishing with nine saves on 10 shots on goal.
Whittier will remain on the road as it travels to Thousand Oaks to face the Cal Lutheran Kingsmen on Saturday, Oct. 17, at 1 p.m. Catch all the action on FloCollege.
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