THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - The final non-conference men's soccer game of the fall featured Cal Lutheran and UC Santa Cruz with the visiting Banana Slugs using an early goal to steal a 1-0 victory from the Kingsmen.
CLU fell for the first time of the fall on an 8th minute scoring play from UCSC. Zach Hummel crossed the ball from the right side of the field to Neal Hetzel who punched it into the left corner of the cage for the lone goal of the game.
After UCSC seemingly controlled the momentum from the whistle, the Kingsmen settled down and found a groove, outshooting the Slugs 5-2 in the opening frame. CLU also held an overall edge with nine shots to six for UC Santa Cruz, but the one that got through was the difference maker. The Banana Slugs earned three corner kicks, all in the second stanza, while Cal Lutheran generated one in each half.
In the 58th minute Alex Wardle, who moved from the defensive end to the forward line, used a one-on-one on a breakaway, for the best Kingsmen opportunity of the night, but his shot sailed just wide left, denying CLU a chance to knot things up.
Wardle finished with a team-high three shots while Casey Kurtenbach fired off a pair.
For the Kingsmen, Bryan Hulse, Andrew Korshava, Gabe Naudin, Adrian Olias and Josh Yudell each made his Cal Lutheran debut. Naudlin was responsible for one of the nine shots tonight.
UCSC (1-1-1) was paced by Hetzel and Ian Leung with a pair of shots apiece. Goalkeeper David Vivian recorded the only two saves of the game.
Cal Lutheran (1-1-1) will be off for eight days before opening Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) play on Wednesday, Sept. 10 at Caltech. Teams will take the field at 4:00 p.m.
Box Score: UCSC 1, CLU 0
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