In a high scoring affair, the University of Redlands men's soccer team took down Pomona-Pitzer Colleges, 5-0, in a Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) duel on Saturday night. The victory marks the 200th win at Redlands for 14th-year Head Coach Ralph Perez.
The Bulldogs gained an opportunity in the sixth minute when first-year forward Ethan Kovach (Las Vegas, NV) sent a cross to senior midfielder Dylan Carlyle (Ottawa, CAN), who fired a shot that missed just high. However, the Maroon and Gray showed persistence by creating three consecutive corner-kick opportunities. On the third chance, sophomore forward Steve Acuña (Pico Rivera, CA) placed the ball in the perfect spot for junior defender Arian Mogharei (Hayward, CA) to jump up and head in the Bulldogs' first goal in the eighth minute.
Corner-kick opportunities proved to be a point of emphasis for Redlands, as junior midfielder Collin ChubbFertal (Eugene, OR) took advantage of another perfectly arched ball from Acuña, tallying Redlands' second score of the game.
The Maroon and Gray continued to apply pressure, as first-year forward Quinn Richards (San Clemente, CA) recorded the first goal of his Bulldog career off of a volley-pass from first-year midfielder Nicolas Mancilla (Pasadena, CA) in the 37th minute.
All-the-while, the backline held steadfast, only allowing one shot on goal in the first half, sending the Bulldogs into the break with a 3-0 advantage.
In the second stanza, Acuña netted a score himself after receiving a crafty back-pass from Carlyle to give Redlands a 4-0 lead. The Bulldogs delivered their final goal of the game off of a well-placed cross from first-year midfielder Joseph Parra (West Covina, CA) that Richards banged in to take a 5-0 lead with just under 20 minutes to go in the game.
The Maroon and Gray shuffled the lineup and relied on its young core to close out Perez's 200th win with Redlands.
Redlands (2-4-1, 2-2 SCIAC) hits the road for a conference matchup against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps-Colleges on Wednesday, October 2, at 7 p.m.
