The University of Redlands men's soccer team survived another tight contest with a 2-1 triumph over Pacific Lutheran University (WA) on Saturday evening under quality conditions on Farquhar Field. After the teams traded goals within a 12-minute span during the second half, the Bulldogs scored the break-through in the 83rd minute to secure the victory over the Lutes.
During a scoreless first half, the Maroon and Gray managed five shots, including a near score off of a well-placed corner kick from senior defender Nick DeQuiroz (San Jose, CA). Sophomore midfielder Collin ChubbFertal made a play on the ball with a header towards the net, but the Lutes' defense headed it right back out into the field of play. Redlands earned two more corner kicks that produced lucrative chances, but, unfortunately, neither found the back of the net.
The Bulldogs bumped up the intensity in the second half and produced 12 shots en route to 17 total for the game.
Redlands' persistence paid off when junior forward Antony Chonga (San Diego, CA) converted a penalty kick by thumping the ball past the diving goalkeeper to put the Bulldogs on the board in the 49th minute.
Nonetheless, PLU quickly responded less than 12 minutes later by taking advantage of a free kick to even the score at one apiece.
Deeper into the half, the Bulldogs worked to possess the ball and create offensive opportunities with plenty of good looks, including two header attempts by Chonga on back-to-back possessions. Moments later, sophomore defender Arian Mogharei (Hayward, CA) sent a shot to the far, left post and past the goalkeeper, but a PLU defender stepped in to boot it away.
With the end of regulation looming, Redlands' tough backline forced a turnover and immediately went on the attack. First-year midfielder Jonathan Cheung (Hong Kong, China) played the ball forward to Chonga, who tapped it to senior forward Kayvon Parsa (West Hills, CA). Parsa collected the ball and unleashed what would be the game-winning goal right past the Lutes' goalkeeper in the 83rd minute.
However, the Bulldogs were not out of danger quite yet, as PLU forced them to make two big stops down the stretch. After sophomore goalkeeper Matteo Defina (Livermore, CA) was pulled off his line, the Lutes uncorked a shot that sailed high. In the final minute of the match, Pacific Lutheran also heaved a throw-in into the box, but the ball was headed out of bounds, giving the Maroon and Gray the final possession as the clock expired.
With tonight's result, Redlands hands PLU (4-1) its first loss of the 2018 season.
The Bulldogs (2-1-0, 1-0-0) hit the road on Wednesday, September 12, to face Occidental College in Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) action at 7 p.m.
