For the second straight match, the University of Redlands
men's soccer team ended a team's season in double
overtime.
This time, Pomona-Pitzer Colleges fell victim to the
Bulldogs' final blow as the Southern California
Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) champions emerged
victorious by a 2-1 final at Farquhar Field on Saturday in the
SCIAC Postseason Tournament Final.
With the win, the Bulldogs receive the conference's automatic
bid to the NCAA playoffs.
The Sagehens put the first point up on the board off of an Andrew
Stamm penalty kick, and Pomona-Pitzer took the 1-0 advantage late
in the contest.
Following a shot by senior midfielder Bryan Fakkema (Oak Harbor,
WA) that the referees ruled was not a goal, senior forward Alex
Parker (Chula Vista, CA) took a Fakkema pass to the back of the net
to tie the game at one score apiece.
Both teams ended regulation tied, and the fate of the two was to be
decided by sudden-death overtime.
Just 31 seconds into the second overtime period, junior defender
Jeff Willey (Medina, WA) connected on a shot in the box off of a
pass from junior midfielder Nick Gundersen (Park City, UT), and the
goal ended the game at a 2-1 score in favor of the Bulldogs.
Junior goalkeeper Evan Hobson (San Diego, CA) saw few shots on
goal, but he saved three of the four attempts fired at him. Charlie
Balter notched 13 saves and allowed two goals manning the net for
the Sagehens.
Parker took nearly as many shots (13) as the entire Pomona-Pitzer
squad as the maroon and gray outshot the visitors by a staggering
40-14 margin.
Redlands (16-4-2, 12-0-2 SCIAC) has not lost a match since Sept. 10
when it lost to Chapman University in Orange by a 1-0 final. The
team discovers its NCAA playoff opening-game opponent on Monday
when the men's soccer brackets are released. Log on to
www.goredlands.com for all up-to-date information on the
Bulldogs' progress in the NCAA playoffs.
