Box Score By Michael Wells
Sports Information Director
LOS ANGELES, Calif. — At times it was sloppy and at times it was uneasy, but the Occidental College men' soccer team finally found the net 57 minutes into their match with Cal Tech, beating the Beavers 1-0 at Lower Field on Saturday.
Although the Tigers (4-7, 4-4) controlled the game throughout, holding Cal Tech to just one shot for most of the game, they did not have anything to show for it until Doug Pentland headed in James Kornfield's corner kick in the 57th minute.
"We were hoping for it to a be a little prettier than it was. We put a lot of shots out, only got one goal though off a corner," Pentland said. "We talked about the corners and how we wanted to run it and I was able to put one away."
Pentland has now scored deciding goals in each of Oxy's last two matches, getting the team back to .500 in Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play.
"Like we talked about after the game it's all about the three points right now," Pentland said. "It's all about results."
The Beavers (1-9, 1-6) had their best two best chances to score on consecutive plays with just under four minutes to left in the match. First Mikhail Sushkov had a shot blocked on a counter attack by an Oxy defender, then Brice Nzeukou's header on the ensuing corner kick missed wide.
Occidental out-shot Cal Tech 18-7 and had nine corner kicks to the Beaver's one.
Will Moseley led Oxy with five shots and Traylor White had four.
"We just weren't sharp enough in front of the goal. The game's determined by the scoreboard," Rod Lafaurie said. "Shots and possessions sometimes don't matter that much."
Despite not being as polished as they would have like, the Tigers are in the drivers seat to making the four-team SCIAC postseason tournament.
"Now the next step is to get to 5-4. We want to make the conference playoffs and it's going to take us probably seven or eight wins," Lafaurie said. "All goals and all wins. … they all count the same whether it's against Cal Tech or Redlands. …We just need a few more wins and to get into the top four."
Oxy is back at Lower field on Sunday at 1 p.m. in a non-conference match against UC Santa Cruz.
