The University of Redlands men's soccer team concluded its four-game road trip with a 2-1 victory over Caltech in Saturday afternoon's Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) tilt. The Bulldogs gained a pair of first-time goal-scorers in the gritty effort.
Redlands worked to put pressure on the Beavers early and often, including when it took four shots in less than a three-minute span around the 20-minute mark. Junior midfielder Derrin Valeri (Atlanta, GA) also fired off a solid shot late in the first half, but it was blocked by the Caltech defense, leading to a draw at the midway point of the match.
In the first minute of the second stanza, the Beavers connected on a free-kick attempt to take a 1-0 advantage with plenty of time on the clock.
The Bulldogs proceeded to challenge Caltech with 11 attempts over the next 25 minutes, but the Beavers continued to protect their lead.
However, first-year midfielder Ryan Hulbert (Dixon, CA) found the back of the net off a corner kick for the first goal of his Redlands career, which tied it up in the 74th minute. First-year midfielder Nicolas Mancilla (Pasadena, CA) lofted a nice ball to the far post where sophomore defender Peyton Menti (Seattle, WA) headed it back into the box to find Hulbert.
Just over a minute later, senior midfielder Matias Lazo-Fanning (Seattle, WA) made a crafty play to slot a low cross into the box to first-year forward Jamie Dulle (St. Louis, MO), who turned to create space and beat the Caltech goalkeeper with a low shot from about 12 yards out. His inaugural goal as a Bulldog also served as the eventual game-winner.
On the other end, the Maroon and Gray defense allowed only one shot that missed the mark for the remainder of the half to help cement a 2-1 victory for the Bulldogs.
Redlands (6-4-2, 5-2-1 SCIAC) returns home for Senior Day against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges on Saturday, October 26, at 4 p.m. on Farquhar Field.