In a crazy display of offense on both ends of Farquhar Field, the No. 15 University of Redlands men's soccer team won a wild one over the Pomona-Pitzer Colleges Sagehens on Saturday afternoon. While never trailing in the game, the Bulldogs got in the last word in a 5-3 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) showdown to remain atop the standings at the midway point of the season.
Junior forward Chase Boone (Beaverton, OR) initiated the scoring in the sixth minute by launching a header past the Sagehen goalkeeper off of a sweet service from sophomore defender Spencer Scott (Beaverton, OR).
Although Pomona-Pitzer answered less than six minutes later, the Bulldogs remained tenacious in their game plan to execute and possess. The home team amassed 14 first-half shots to the visitors' four, with freshman forward Antony Chonga (San Diego, CA) finding the back of the net on a far-post blast after sophomore midfielder Jesus Avalos (Indio, CA) fed him pass inside the box. With his first-ever goal as a Bulldog, Redlands regained the lead at 2-1 with less than three minutes remaining in the first frame.
During the second half, the squads combined for 20 total shots, with more than half flying on-goal. After a scoreless 12 minutes, Pomona-Pitzer took advantage of space to score the equalizer.
However, the Bulldogs came roaring back, when junior midfielder Casey ChubbFertal (Eugene, OR) uncorked back-to-back goals in a matter of 71 seconds for the 4-2 advantage. The first score came off of a low, diving header directly from senior midfielder Isaac Bogart's (Lynden, WA) beautiful corner kick. Moments later, ChubbFertal tapped a forward pass into the back of the net and past the charging goalkeeper for his second goal of the game.
Nonetheless, Pomona-Pitzer cut the deficit to one less than two minutes later, forcing the sense of urgency to continue for the Maroon and Gray. In the 78th minute, Boone bookended his strong day on the pitch with another header-goal for the eventual 5-3 Bulldog victory. Avalos repeated the short service play as well, allowing Boone to head it into the back of the net.
Junior goalkeeper Josh Haskill (Lakewood, CA) made his return as the starter for the first time since September 19 and earned the win by making three saves in 90 minutes of action. He was supported by the tenacious and consistent presence of junior defender Ben Thompson (Spokane, WA), senior defender Austin Moore (Las Vegas, NV), junior defender Keoni Yates, and Scott along the backline. In addition, freshman defender Toshi Kosins (Tokyo, Japan), sophomore defender Nick DeQuiroz (San Jose, CA), and freshman Rudy Frayre (Santa Monica, CA) provided valuable minutes off the bench.
Redlands (9-2, 7-1 SCIAC) heads to Whittier College on Wednesday, October 5, to take on the Poets at 7 p.m.
