LOS ANGELES, Calif. (Sept. 30, 2009) –
The Tigers hosted the Caltech Beavers this afternoon on the Lower
Soccer Field of Occidental College and walked away with their
second victory in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic
Conference. The win kept the Tigers undefeated in SCIAC home games
and improved their record to 3-5 overall and 2-3 in league play.
The Tigers came out today still frustrated from an 0-3 slide in
three straight games on the road, but playing in front of a
friendly crowd seemed to give them the extra strength necessary to
pull off another well-earned victory. Oxy began its attack
immediately, attacking the Beavers' goal with 11 shots on
goal in the first half, only one of which got through for a goal.
An almost passive Beaver defense was only saved by their goalkeeper
who finished the match with 15 impressive saves.
The first goal, at the 32nd minute, revealed the
technique and strategy that can lead the Tigers to a prosperous
season. A cut inside by Kosa Goucher-Lambert left freshman defender
Reid Sakamoto open making a run down the line. The
pass to Sakamoto caught the Beavers by surprise and left them
running back to try and defend their goal, leaving forward
Rob Tuttlebee open for a perfect cross by
Sakamoto. Caltech's keeper nearly saved Tuttlebee's
shot, but a ricochet off the crossbar bounced the ball into the
back of the net for the 1-0 lead.
At the 51st minute the Tigers scored again to ensure
their 2-0 victory over the Beavers. Forward Deryck
Lim and mid-fielder, Goucher-Lambert, made disciplined
runs, alternating their positions for several moments to confuse
the Beaver defense. Now playing along the side, Lim dribbled down
the line and crossed the ball just past the lunging keeper, onto
the legs of Goucher-Lambert who then shot the ball into the open
goal.
Andrew Larkin, starting his first game since
last season, in the net had two saves to maintain the shutout
against the Beavers, while Sakamoto revealed his ability to play in
the center of the mid-field where he distributed the ball with
technique and elegance all day. Micah Farver also
showed his defensive strength in a mid-field that seemed dedicated
to giving its defense a day off after a rough road trip.
For their next match, the Tigers will host the
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Stags on Patterson Field this Saturday, Oct.
3rd at 11:00 a.m.
Article: Marco Castanos, Student Reporter
