THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – Cal Lutheran men's soccer embraced the elements Sunday morning, earning its first win of the season and snapping a nearly one-year drought with a 4-2 victory over Linfield University at William Rolland Stadium.
With heavy rain pouring throughout the entire 90 minutes, the Kingsmen (1-1-1) overcame an early deficit and scored four consecutive goals to take control of the match before holding off a late Linfield push.
Linfield struck first in the eighth minute when Ross Vargo found the back of the net to give the Wildcats an early 1-0 advantage.
Cal Lutheran answered in the 36th minute when junior transfer
Liam Stoner scored the first goal of his Cal Lutheran career, finishing off a pass from
Gavin Arce to even the match at 1-1.
The Kingsmen then took the lead just before halftime.
Maximo Schelotto found the back of the net in the 42nd minute to send Cal Lutheran into the break with a 2-1 advantage.
The rain continued to come down in the second half, but so did the Kingsmen's offense.
In the 63rd minute,
Zach Mohr extended the lead to 3-1, scoring the first goal of his collegiate career off an assist from
Jackson Smart.
Just three minutes later,
Pablo Leon added another first-career goal, converting a corner from
Isaac Berini to put the Kingsmen ahead 4-1.
Linfield's Brody Dalgaard trimmed the deficit to two in the 81st minute, but Cal Lutheran's defense held firm the rest of the way to secure the victory.
The Kingsmen outshot the Wildcats 20-12 and held a 9-7 advantage in corner kicks.
Cody Ross made four saves in goal to earn the win.
The victory marks Cal Lutheran's first since September 20, 2025, when the Kingsmen defeated Claremont-Mudd-Scripps on the road. Sunday's four-goal performance also matched the most Cal Lutheran has scored in a game since September 18, 2024, also against CMS.
Cal Lutheran returns to Rolland Stadium Friday, September 11, hosting Colorado College at 7 p.m.
