The University of Redlands men's soccer team made the trek to Thousand Oaks on Monday night to face the Cal Lutheran University Kingsmen in an important Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) showdown.  With a pair of goals in a four-minute span, the Bulldogs prevailed in a 2-1 decision to secure a spot in the upcoming 2014 SCIAC Postseason Tournament, which features the top four teams in a battle for the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Championships.

Redlands came out with an aggressive attack, as the team recorded two shots on-goal and two corner kicks within the first 12 minutes of action.  Freshman forward Chase Boone (Beaverton, OR), senior forward Matej Kustura (Las Vegas, NV), and senior forward Charles Izydorek (Redlands, CA) each fired off blasts that forced the goalkeeper to make a save.

Although the Bulldogs uncorked eight first-half shots, it was the home team that converted the first score of the game in the 38th minute.

However, the Maroon and Gray responded in the second frame with back-to-back goals to secure the important win and a spot in the postseason tournament.

Following a foul in the box, the Maroon and Gray gained a penalty-kick opportunity in the 49th minute.  Izydorek stepped up to the line and successfully buried the penalty kick, tying the game at one apiece.

Moments later, Izydorek took advantage of open space in front of the CLU net by chipping the ball over the oncoming goalkeeper from 20 yards out to score what became his third-consecutive game-winner.

With the Kingsmen facing a deficit, they elevated their offensive pressure against the Bulldogs and unleashed eight shots in the second period. 

But Bulldog freshman goalkeeper Josh Haskill (Lakewood, CA) was up for the task, as he hauled in all three of his saves in the final 45 minutes.  He improved to 8-4 on the season.

Overall, Izydorek and Kustura accounted for eight of Redlands' 11 shots, with seven of them being on frame. 

With the win, the Bulldogs (11-8, 10-5 SCIAC) move into first place in the conference standings but have played one more game than second-place Pomona-Pitzer Colleges.  The two teams square off on Wednesday in a 4 p.m. showdown in Claremont.  Fans may follow along through live-streaming and live-stats.