WHITTIER, Calif. – Cal Lutheran men's soccer earned a statement road victory Wednesday night, shutting out Whittier 2-0 at Donald E. Graham Soccer Field to secure its second consecutive SCIAC win.
The Kingsmen (4-5-3, 2-4-1 SCIAC) made the most of their opportunities offensively while delivering a strong defensive performance against the Poets (3-4-5, 2-3-1 SCIAC).
Jackson Bankers was outstanding in goal, recording seven saves to earn his first career shutout.
Cal Lutheran broke through in the 26th minute when
Zach Mohr found the back of the net for his ninth goal of the season. The Kingsmen carried the 1-0 advantage into halftime, putting themselves in position to build on their lead after the break.
They did just that in the 55th minute, as
Dane Paulson doubled the lead with his third goal of the season, giving Cal Lutheran some breathing room for the final 35 minutes.
From there, the Kingsmen locked down defensively to preserve the clean sheet. Whittier finished with a 12-9 advantage in shots, but Bankers came up with five second half saves to keep the Poets off the scoreboard. Cal Lutheran also put seven shots on target, making the most of its chances to secure the road win.
The victory marks Cal Lutheran's second straight SCIAC win following Saturday's six-goal performance against Caltech, giving the Kingsmen back-to-back conference victories as they continue to build momentum.
Cal Lutheran returns home Saturday, October 10, to host Azusa Pacific at 1 p.m. at William Rolland Stadium. The matchup against the SCIAC newcomer will count towards the overall records, but not the conference standings as the Cougars continue their NCAA reclassification from Division II to Division III.
