THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – Cal Lutheran men's soccer opened SCIAC play Wednesday night, falling 3-0 to Pomona-Pitzer at William Rolland Stadium.
The Kingsmen found themselves in an early hole when a foul in the box led to a Pomona-Pitzer penalty kick just over two minutes into the match. Aidan MacLennan converted from the spot in the third minute to give the Sagehens a 1-0 lead.
Cal Lutheran responded by creating chances throughout the opening half, with
Maximo Schelotto putting three shots on frame and
Nathan Buehler and
Ching Leung each adding an attempt. Pomona-Pitzer goalkeeper Gavin Honey kept the Kingsmen off the board, making four saves before halftime as Cal Lutheran took six shots in the opening 45 minutes.
Jackson Bankers made his first save of the night early in the second half, but Pomona-Pitzer extended its lead in the 57th minute when MacLennan found the back of the net again off an assist from Blake Hartfelder.
The Kingsmen continued to press forward, firing off 13 shots in the second half as they searched for a way back into the match.
Jackson Smart and
Gavin Arce each put shots just wide before
Odin Kiyabu forced another save from Honey in the 71st minute.
MacLennan completed his hat trick in the 68th minute, finishing a pass from Seb Lee Jara to make it a 3-0 game.
Cal Lutheran continued to generate opportunities late, putting five more shots on goal over the final 10 minutes. Schelotto and Leung each forced saves from Honey, while
Yusuf Bodiat also put a shot on frame in the final two minutes. Honey finished with seven saves to preserve the shutout.
The Kingsmen finished the night with a 19-6 advantage in shots and put seven attempts on target, but could not find the breakthrough against the Sagehens. Schelotto led the way with six shots, including three on goal, while Leung added three shots and two on frame.
Bankers finished with one save for Cal Lutheran, which moves to 2-2-2 overall and 0-1-0 in SCIAC play.
