THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – There's no better way to end a season than with a win, and the Occidental College men's soccer team did exactly that on Saturday.

Freshman John Richardson (Palo Alto, CA) scored a pair of goals, leading the Tigers to a 2-1 win over Cal Lutheran (4-15, 4-1) in their season finale.

The Tigers (5-13, 5-9), got off to a slow start, but picked up momentum toward the end of the first half, led by Richardson's first goal, assisted by Zoe Johnson (Los Angeles, CA). Then the Tigers never looked back.

Richardson found the net again 15 minutes into the second half, scoring an insurance goal that eventually proved to be the difference.

"I saw everyone come together, especially in the second half," said captain Will Moseley (Seattle, WA). "The chemistry was good, and we played together as an unit instead of as individuals."

Playing together as a unit has been something of a challenge at times for the Tigers this season, something that the coach Rod Lafaurie believes will improve next year as his young team matures.

"We are only losing four guys, so almost the whole team will be coming back next year," Lafaurie said. "They will be coming back with experience and a better understanding of what it takes to be successful."

Richardson, one of 14 freshmen who will be returning next year, felt great about his two goals that gave the Tigers their final victory.

"Those were my first two goals in college, so it was a good feeling to know that those two made a difference and we ended up winning."

But it wasn't just Richardson that created opportunities, it was the entire offense.

"Obviously John Richardson had a great game — he scored two goals," Lafaurie said. "But our whole forward line also played well, and our midfielders did a great job with getting them the ball."

Senior goalie Andrew Larkin (Los Angeles, CA) mirrored the offense's production in the net, saving 11 of the 12 shots on goal.

"Obviously I'm disappointed we didn't make it to the playoffs," Moseley said. "But we did pretty well considering half of our team was made up of freshman, and I'm pleased that I got to play with these guys."

The team is hopeful that the next season will be more successful.

"I'm looking forward to most of the players being back," Richardson said. "There are lots of underclassmen who will be older and more mature next season, so I think we'll be a lot better."