WHITTIER, Calif. - Cal Lutheran men's soccer got back in the win column tonight with a 2-1 victory over Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) leading Whittier on the road in the third of four consecutive away games.
A physical game saw the Kingsmen with a man-up advantage against Whittier two days after dropping a man-down decision to Occidental.
The Poets started strong but the Kingsmen stayed composed and battled.
An early WC goal in the 7th minute, by Adolfo Santos on an assist from Dylan Fortin, put Cal Lutheran at a disadvantage. Sophomore Matt Hubbard was able to equalize things 30 minutes later with a score of his own from the top of the box.
After the break the Kingsmen maintained the momentum they gained late in the opening half and came back ready to go.
In the 54th minute Luis Santana took two shots, one on a free kick, but both were saved by WC goalie David Diaz. The Kingsmen also earned a pair of corner kicks in that minute of play with Santana taking both.
The Poets had a number of opportunities between the 58th and 61st minutes but CLU goalkeeper Jack Duncan, in his first collegiate start, saved a pair of big Poets shots.
"We made sure to just take it play by play and save by save so we could focus on the task at hand," Duncan said.
A minute later, Santos, the Poets leader was forced out of the game with a hamstring injury.
Cal Lutheran put salt in the wound of the Poets as they quickly got down the left side of the field ending with a goal from sophomore midfielder Cameron Rude.
An aggressive second half saw a number of cards handed out and CLU got the upper hand in the 72nd minute when a red card was issued to a WC player for taking down Raul Yepez, forcing the Poets to play with 10 men for the final 18 minutes.
Whittier had some opportunities down the stretch and brought the pressure on the Kingsmen over the final five minutes, but the CLU defense of Ivan Sanchez, Peter Keks, Thiago Gaglianone and Alex Wardle stepped up as they did all game to silence those opportunities.
When asked about the situation late in the game, Duncan responded, "I have to give a lot of the credit to my teammates in the back for helping me with instructions and also trusting me," the first year player said. "They had my back the whole game to make sure that we closed out the game with a win."
Duncan recorded 12 saves, six in each half.
Cal Lutheran tallied 17 total shots, led by Yepez who took six while Hubbard fired off three. Luis Santana took two shots, both on goal, while Tyler Pascoe also had two with one at the cage.
Whittier finished with 24 shots at the CLU cage tonight.
Each team earned six corner kicks.
The CLU win displaces the Poets from the top of the SCIAC standings.
Duncan concluded, "It was hard work, but this win was a tremendous boost to the team and another step in the right direction."
Cal Lutheran (5-4, 3-2 SCIAC) concludes their four-game road trip with a Saturday night showdown at Chapman on Sept. 29. The teams will take the field at 7:00 p.m.
Box Score: CLU 2, WC 1
