In a remarkable display of effort and heart, the University of Redlands men's soccer team overcame a two-goal deficit to secure an incredible 4-3 victory in overtime against rival Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges during Monday's rare doubleheader with the women. Amidst a physical game that included eight yellow cards and nearly 40 fouls, the Bulldog men fired off three unanswered goals, with two of them coming in the final three minutes of action on Farquhar Field.
Trailing 1-3 early in the second stanza, the Bulldogs stepped up the intensity with more offensive pressure while remaining patient in their opportunities.
With great poise and precision, senior defender Nico Johnson (Las Vegas, NV) lofted a well-placed pass into the box, where senior forward Charles Izydorek (Redlands, CA) found a way to get his head on the ball while beating the CMS defender in the process. The headed ball lobbed just over the Stag goalkeeper and into the net, making it a one-goal game with just over 37 minutes to go in the second half.
The intense and hard-fought battle continued, with 11 more fouls handed out through the end of regulation.
Looking to tie it up late in the game, senior forward Matej Kustura (Las Vegas, NV) broke away from the CMS defense, moving the ball down the right side of the field. He uncorked a quality shot toward the far post, but it sailed just wide.
Finally, with time running out, the Bulldogs found the equalizer with 15 ticks left in the second stanza, as freshman forward Chase Boone (Beaverton, OR) unleashed a quality cross from the left side that found fellow freshman Casey ChubbFertal (Eugene, OR) near the far post, where he headed in the game-tying goal.
Less than three minutes into the overtime, the Maroon and Gray took advantage of its first scoring opportunity to secure the exciting 4-3 victory. Kustura provided the impressive cross on a free kick before freshman defender Ben Thompson (Spokane, WA) headed it to Izydorek, who connected with his head again for the game-winning goal.
View the goal and celebration.
Earlier in the contest, Kustura put Redlands on the board in the 11th minute with a blast from outside of the box, sending the ball well beyond the Stag goalkeeper's reach.
After the game, Izydorek shared his thoughts on the comeback and the significance of the win.
Overall, Redlands racked up 19 shots, as compared to CMS' nine.
Freshman goalkeeper Josh Haskill (Lakewood, CA) garnered his sixth win of the season in a complete-game performance. In addition, sophomore midfielder Austin Moore (Las Vegas, NV) and freshman midfielder Sergio Valencia (San Jose, CA) provided key contributions for the Bulldogs throughout the night.
Redlands (9-8, 8-5 SCIAC) hosts Whittier College on Saturday for Senior Night at 7 p.m. under the lights of Farquhar Field.