The men’s soccer teams from California Lutheran University and the University of Redlands squared off under the lights at William Rolland Stadium at 7 p.m. Sept. 10. Both squads entered the match with one win in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play.

The Redlands Bulldogs came into the match as defending SCIAC champions, making this a difficult test for the Kingsmen.

With both teams eager to get off to a strong start in conference play, the beginning of the game was filled with physicality and emotion. Five players were issued yellow cards for this physical style of play.

Head Coach Dan Kuntz was not surprised by the discipline throughout the match.

“Every game we play in the league is like that. It was a well-played game by both teams,” Kuntz said. “Everyone was working hard and when that happens, it can get pretty physical.”

Redlands controlled possession for much of the first half but the Kingsmen were able to create a scoring opportunity. Junior midfielder Jaime Alvarado rocketed a strong shot that was deflected by Redlands goalkeeper Josh Haskill, and then ricocheted off the crossbar for an impressive save.

“It was a shot I had worked on in practice and the goalie made a really good save. I don’t know how he saved it,” Alvarado said. “That save kept his team in the game and it was unfortunate for us.”

Cal Lutheran had more scoring opportunities before the end of the half. These opportunities included a few set pieces in the attacking third of the pitch. Unfortunately for the Kingsmen, they could not capitalize and the score was 0-0 at the half.

Redlands broke through early in the second half with a goal from junior midfielder Casey ChubbFertal. This would prove to be a turning point in the match. The Bulldogs controlled the ball for much of the second half and spent much of their time with the ball in the attacking third of the pitch.

“We wanted to get that ‘W’. We knew Redlands was a good team. We played a fantastic first half. We were putting them on the edge and they were getting really frustrated,” junior forward Brandon Kearney said. “One goal after another just really got us down. We have to pick it up or it’s going to be a long season.”

Redlands would go on to score two more goals before the conclusion of the match. A goal came from sophomore forward Kayvon Parsa from 28 yards out, which gave Redlands the momentum to finish the match strongly.

Redlands added to their lead on a defensive miscue by the Kingsmen. A bad touch by a Cal Lutheran midfielder led to a break away opportunity for the Bulldogs. Junior midfielder Chase Boone wasted no time and quickly put the ball in the back of the net to give Redlands a three-goal advantage.

The Kingsmen were awarded a penalty kick shortly after Redlands scored their third goal. Junior midfielder Elmer Molina was chosen to take the shot. The attempt was saved by a diving effort from Haskill. This save would solidify the 3-0 result for the Bulldogs.

“Our team is down right now. They don’t like to lose. They know that they’re better than what they showed tonight. We gave away two goals tonight. We also missed a penalty kick that would have brought us back,” Kuntz said.

The Kingsmen had three shots on goal coming from Molina, junior forward Chris Ortiz and Alvarado. Junior goalkeeper Sergio Esquivel tallied five saves during the match.

Cal Lutheran moved to 2-2 overall and 1-1 in SCIAC while Redlands improved to 4-0 overall and 2-0 in SCIAC. They will look to rebound and improve their conference record.

The next game for the Kingsmen will take place Sept. 17 at Occidental College at 7:00 p.m.

Jeff Rebello
Staff Writer