Box Score By Michael Wells
Sports Information Director
LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Occidental College goalkeeper Andrew Larkin made a diving save to stop Raul Yepez' penalty kick in the 16th minute, preventing Cal Lutheran University from taking an early lead and preserving what would eventually be a 1-0 victory for the Tigers men's soccer team.
The senior keeper said his save was a combination of reading Yepez' body language and guessing where he thought the ball would go.
"I tried to read his body and take a good guess," Larkin said. "I saw that he was going to go to my right. Took a little early step left to try to convince him… saw he was going there. Took the step. Made the save… big momentum builder for us."
On a corner kick 10 minutes later, Doug Pentland scored the game's only goal on a pass from Ben Murray, giving Oxy a Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference win at Jack Kemp Stadium on Wednesday.
On top of the crucial penalty kick he blocked, Larkin had five saves in the first half and seven total, in a game the Tigers (3-7, 3-4) needed to break a four-game losing streak.
"Today was just a must win situation for us. We needed these points to end the couple of game losing streak we were on and really just find some things for the second half of the season," Larkin said. "For me, it was just do whatever I had to to keep the ball out today. My defense stepped up and got my back when I needed them and anytime I had to help them I did what I had to."
Both teams had several opportunities, combining for 17 corner kicks and 30 shots, but Oxy edged the Kingsmen (1-10, 1-6) in a game that looked like it would not be decided by just one goal.
"I'm happy with three points all the time," Lafaurie said. "Of course there are always things I think we can do better. But at the end of the day, I'd rather have won. … It wasn't easy, it wasn't even pretty, but I'm glad we got it."
Oxy now has an opportunity to improve to .500 in conference with a win over Cal Tech on Saturday.
"Cal Lu is always a team you need to beat if you want to be in the playoff race," junior captain Reid Sakamoto said. "We came out, fought hard, fought through the rain and got a very comprehensive win today. I just hope we can take this momentum into this weekend and get another win against Cal Tech."
