Box Score The University of Redlands men's soccer team fell to Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) foe, Whittier College, on Wednesday evening by a score of 1-3. The loss halted the Bulldogs' unbeaten streak against the Poets at six, dating back to September 16, 2009.
In a back-and-forth opening half, Whittier got on the board first when freshman forward Pablo Gomez (Cardiff-by-the-Sea, CA) whipped in a corner kick in the 40th minute and sophomore midfielder Matthew Evans (Bury St. Edmunds, England) scored for the Poets' one-goal advantage.
Despite earning six corner kicks, the Bulldogs could not find the equalizer before the end of the half.
The Poets doubled their lead just minutes into the second stanza when junior midfielder Brian Russell (Torrance, CA) hit a free kick into the box where senior forward Srdan Jovanovic (London, England) one-timed the cross into the back of the net.
Sophomore midfielder Matej Kustura (Las Vegas, NV) pulled the Maroon and Gray to within one in the 57th minute by burying his first goal of the season, which came off of a pass from senior forward Alex Laughton (Pleasanton, CA).
The Poets regained their two-goal advantage, however, when they drew a penalty-kick opportunity 11 minutes later. Jovanovic stepped up to the spot and slotted it to the left for his second score of the match.
Redlands pushed forward, desperately in need of goals, but was unable to find the finishing touch again.
In the second half, the Bulldogs out-shot the Poets, 16-9, en route to a 25-21 margin for the match. Sophomore forward Charles Izydorek (Redlands, CA) led all Bulldogs in shots, recording 11 in all.
Redlands (4-4-3, 3-2-2 SCIAC) looks to bounce back from this disappointing defeat on Saturday when it travels to Pasadena to take on Caltech. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m.
