The University of Redlands men's soccer team continued Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) competition on Wednesday night against the California Lutheran University Kingsmen under the lights at Farquhar Field. After facing an early two-goal deficit, the Bulldogs charged back with three, second-half goals en route to the thrilling victory.

The U of R endured a slow start in the first half, as the offense struggled to gain any significant rhythm. Senior forward Matej Kustura (Las Vegas, NV) and junior midfielder Pat Roraff (Redlands, CA) mustered one shot apiece in the early action, while freshman midfielder Casey ChubbFertal (Eugene, OR) joined in the offensive effort but to no avail.

Unfortunately for Redlands, the Kingsmen showcased their assertive style of play by cranking off two quick goals to take the early lead by the 13th minute.

Ironically, the Bulldogs out-shot the Kingsmen by a 10-5 margin in the first half.

In the second stanza, the Maroon and Gray came out of the gate firing on all cylinders. In the 57th minute, ChubbFertal blasted home the first Bulldog score to cut the deficit to one, with Kustura providing the brilliant assist. 

But Redlands did not stop there, as senior forward Charles Izydorek (Redlands, CA) joined the scoring action, and promptly registered a goal off a pin-point assist by Roraff to make it a 2-2 game with less than 30 minutes to go.

With the game all tied up, the Bulldogs stepped up to display some tenacity on the defensive side of the field. Senior defender Nico Johnson (Las Vegas, NV), sophomore defender Tom Elsea (Mission Viejo, CA), and sophomore midfielder Austin Moore (Las Vegas, NV) stymied the Kingsmen's offensive efforts, as they worked relentlessly to keep the ball away from the Bulldogs' net.

The U of R defensive efforts paid off, as it allowed Izydorek to put pressure on the CLU defense and create some offense. As Izydorek charged down the center of the field, he was fouled in the goalkeeper's box and awarded a penalty kick. The foul also led to a Kingsmen red card, which forced Cal Lutheran to play a man down for the remainder of the contest.

Izydorek cashed in on the penalty and registered what was ultimately the game-winning goal. 

The Bulldogs continued to create scoring opportunities in the final minutes, but their three goals proved to be sufficient in the important 3-2 victory.

Freshman goalkeeper Josh Haskill (Lakewood, CA) played the full 90 minutes between the pipes, as he recorded the win and two saves for the Maroon and Gray.

The Bulldogs out-shot the Kingsmen, 25-7, and registered 11 corner kicks versus Cal Lutheran's single opportunity in the contest.

Redlands (4-5-0, 3-2-0) continues SCIAC action on Saturday, September 27, against Pomona-Pitzer Colleges (6-1-1, 4-0-1) on Farquhar Field at 1 p.m.  This is also Alumni Day for the men's soccer program, which will host a friendly contest between the alumni at 7 p.m.