The University of Redlands men's soccer team continued Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) competition on Wednesday night by taking on the Occidental College Tigers under the lights at Farquhar Field. Despite netting a goal in the 88th minute, the Bulldogs suffered a heartbreaking 1-2 loss.
The Bulldogs trailed early, as the Tigers netted a score in just the third minute of action.
However, the Bulldogs formed a plan to retaliate by creating solid offensive pressure. Freshman midfielder Sergio Valencia (San Jose, CA) cracked off a shot in the 11th minute, while senior defender Nico Johnson (Las Vegas, NV) and senior Matej Kustura (Las Vegas, NV) followed suit just moments later.
In the 14th minute, the Bulldogs looked to capitalize on their second corner-kick opportunity. Junior midfielder AJ VanderStaay (Bellingham, WA) lofted a pass in front of the Tigers' goalkeeper, which sophomore defender Tom Elsea (Mission Viejo, CA) rose for an attempted header, but just missed right.
Redlands went on to fire off five more shots in the period and ultimately boasted a 9-3 margin over Occidental in the first half.
The Bulldogs ended the first period by allowing only three Tiger shots.
During the early part of the second half, the Maroon and Gray orchestrated multiple chances in the box, especially off of corner kicks, but none found the back of the net.
Unfortunately for Redlands, the Tigers took advantage of a scoring opportunity in the 76th minute to make 2-0.
The Bulldogs looked to respond, as sophomore forward Ryan Davis (Seattle, WA) and freshman forward Chase Boone (Beaverton, OR) blasted off attempts.
The relentless efforts finally paid off for the Bulldogs, as senior forward Charles Izydorek (Redlands, CA) punched home a goal in the 88th minute after Boone fed him a pass directly in front of the net.
Unfortunately, the late, second-half score was not enough for the Maroon and Gray, resulting in the tough loss to the Tigers.
Redlands out-shot Occidental, 18-6 throughout the contest, as the Bulldogs unleashed nine shots in each half.
The game remained physical with teams amassing 26 fouls, while two came accompanied with yellow cards for Occidental.
The Bulldogs (6-7-0, 5-4 SCIAC) play at home on Saturday, October 11, when they face off against the Chapman University Panthers (5-4-1, 5-3-1 SCIAC) at 1 p.m. on Farquhar Field.
