LOS ANGELES, Calif. (Sept. 8, 2009) – Despite magnificent efforts by the Tigers, Occidental College was defeated 2-0 by the Chapman University Panthers Tuesday afternoon at the Lower Soccer Field.

The Chapman and Oxy teams both seemed well matched. The Panther defenders effectively stopped the duo of Jesi Sasaki and Leina'ala Song who ran circles around the Benedictine defense less than a week ago. Song and Sasaki were held to limited shots in the first half, before Song left the game at the mid-way mark, only to return later in the second half to replace an injured Sasaki.

Robin Feldman, the Occidental keeper, made seven saves throughout the game, but the Panthers managed to sneak a pair of goals by the junior. The first Chapman goal, at the 31^st minute, occurred when the Oxy defense, already exhausted, left an open forward to chase a ball near the Tiger goal, leading to the first Panthers' score of the game.

For the second goal, a Chapman break away left two Panther forwards unmarked as the Tiger defenders struggled to reach them in time. The shot, gracefully aimed towards the lower corner, was just out of the reach of Feldman, and left Oxy at a two goal deficit.

However, junior Season Falkler-Rodriguez and senior Marci Kang, both prominent forces along the defensive line, played incredibly well and averted several more potential Panther goals.

In the mid field, junior Corrine Winkler revealed herself as an invaluable asset to the Occidental team as she not only led most of the Tiger attacks and had several shots, but also defended effectively, limiting the Panther attacks up the middle and forcing them to advance along the sides.

The addition of freshman Rebecca Verstraete also proved worthy as she entered the game at forward during the second half and added several more shots to Oxy's total.

The Occidental Tigers return to the Lower Soccer Field this Sunday at 3:00 p.m. when they host the La Sierra University Golden Eagles.

Article: Marco Castanos, Student Reporter