The No. 13 Redlands men's soccer team traveled to Whittier College to take on the Poets in the first game of the second half of Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play. Amidst a physical and intense battle inside the caged confines of Graham Soccer Field, the Bulldogs came out on top by a final score of 2-1 to remain in first place in the conference standings.

Whittier got off to a quick start by firing off two shots and taking two corner kicks early in the contest.

Moments later, Redlands found its offensive rhythm and worked the ball to Whittier's defensive third, where junior forward Alexander Knox (Spokane, WA) banged off a shot in the 11th minute.

Play was fairly even until the 21st minute, when senior midfielder Isaac Bogart (Lynden, WA) entered the game and quickly fired off two shots and one corner kick. Bogart refused to lay off the offensive pressure and his efforts finally paid off, as he blasted a shot from well outside of the box and past the diving Poet goalie for the Bulldogs' 1-0 lead.

Soon after, Whittier scored the equalizer, which forced Redlands to step up its game and answer the call. Bogart continued to cart a heavy foot, firing off multiple shots and dishing out more corner kicks before the end of the stanza.

Following minor halftime adjustments, the Bulldogs dominated the second stanza by firing off 11 shots to Whittier's one. Sophomore midfielder Jesus Avalos (Indio, CA) came up big in the 67th minute by blasting off the eventual game-winner for Redlands' 2-1 advantage.

Thanks to the defensive prowess of senior Austin Moore (Las Vegas, NV), juniors Ben Thompson (Spokane, WA) and Keoni Yates (Kailua-Kona, HI), and sophomore Spencer Scott (Beaverton, OR), Redlands successfully held off the Poets over the next 23 minutes to solidify the Maroon and Gray's win.

The Bulldogs took an outstanding 25 shots on the night, with Bogart, Knox, and junior midfielder Casey ChubbFertal (Eugene, OR) each taking five.

Redlands (10-2-0, 8-1-0 SCIAC) head back on the road to take on the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges Stags on Saturday, October 8. The game is slotted to start at 7 p.m.