THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – The Cal Lutheran men's soccer team scored first but couldn't hold onto its lead, settling for a 1-1 draw against Whittier on Saturday afternoon at William Rolland Stadium on Homecoming.
The Kingsmen (4-7-4, 2-5-2 SCIAC) struck first despite playing a man down for nearly the entire match, but Whittier found the equalizer early in the second half to split the points.
Cal Lutheran's
Christopher Martinez converted a penalty kick in the 40th minute to give the Kingsmen a 1-0 advantage heading into halftime. The goal marked a strong response from the home side after
Shaw Nishizawa received a red card in the fifth minute, forcing the Kingsmen to play with 10 men for the remainder of the contest.
Whittier evened the score in the 54th minute when Teodor Hamilton finished a pass from Nicholas Coop to make it 1-1. The Poets increased their offensive pressure after the break, outshooting Cal Lutheran 15-4 in the second half, but
Anthony Sound came up with six saves to help the Kingsmen secure the tie.
The Kingsmen sit eighth in the SCIAC standings with eight conference points and a 2-5-2 league record. While Cal Lutheran remains in contention for the SCIAC Tournament, the path forward is narrow, with the Kingsmen needing to win their remaining conference games and receive help from other results to climb into the top five.
Cal Lutheran returns to Rolland Stadium on Wednesday, October 21, hosting Chapman at 7 p.m. The Kingsmen will look to avenge a late collapse against the Panthers earlier this season, when they surrendered a 3-2 lead in the final 20 minutes. Chapman enters the matchup fourth in the SCIAC standings with a 4-3-2 conference record and 14 points.
