The University of Redlands men's soccer team took on the Chapman University Panthers in an exciting Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) competition on Saturday afternoon on Farquhar Field. With minimal scoring opportunities throughout the contest, the Bulldogs capitalized on an early overtime goal to snag the exciting 1-0 victory.
The first half displayed a defensive battle with few offensive chances, as the teams recorded just two shots each. For Redlands, senior forward Matej Kustura (Las Vegas, NV) uncorked a shot in the 14th minute, while freshman defender Alexander Knox (Kirkland, WA) followed suit with a blast in the 42nd minute.
The second half opened up a bigger arsenal of scoring chances, as the Bulldogs gained eight shots from five different players. Senior forward Charles Izydorek (Redlands, CA) and Kustura each unleashed two attempts in the half. In addition, Redlands put together quality looks from different areas of the field, with senior defender Nico Johnson (Las Vegas, NV) and sophomore defender Jared Bales (Issaquah, WA) each firing off shots, while junior midfielder Peter Marsden (Woodside, CA) attempted a well-executed header but the Chapman goalkeeper came up with a nice save.
Chapman recorded six shots in the second half, but was unable to penetrate a defensive unit that was led by freshman Ben Thompson (Spokane, WA), sophomore Tom Elsea (Mission Viejo, CA), and Johnson.
Without a score through 90 minutes, the game continued to overtime.
Little extra-time was needed, as Izydorek netted the game-winning goal off an excellently placed pass from freshman midfielder Sergio Valencia (San Jose, CA) just 42 seconds into the overtime period. After Valencia lofted the ball, Izydorek gathered the pass with two touches and promptly buried the score in the low post.
Amidst the physical contest, 28 fouls were dished out, while three fouls came with yellow cards.
Overall, the Bulldogs registered 11 shots and two corner kicks in the hard-fought victory.
The Bulldogs (7-7-0, 6-4-0 SCIAC) continue SCIAC competition on Wednesday, October 15, by facing off against the Caltech Beavers (0-11-1, 0-8-1 SCIAC) in Pasadena at 7 p.m.