Michael Wells
Sports Information Director
LOS ANGELES, Calif.— On a perfectly executed set piece in the 36th minute, Garret Schwab headed home the first of three goals for the Occidental College men's soccer team, sparking the Tigers to a 3-1 victory over the University of La Verne.
Traylor White flicked-on Daniel Watson's free kick from 40 yards out, then Schwab beat Leopard goalkeeper Jonathyn Lomeli, leading Occidental (2-3, 2-1) to a SCIAC conference win in their home opener at Jack Kemp Stadium.
"We had a lot of our guys crashing the box, (White) came over and flicked it on and Garret buried it," Watson said.
James Kornfield provided an insurance goal for the Tigers (2-3-1) early in the second half, drilling a right-footed shot from the top of the box, then Ben Murray found Daniel Watson on a corner kick in the 66th minute for Oxy's third goal.
Occidental coach Rod Lafaurie said the win is an encouraging sign, especially considering the offensive production the Tigers got from a variety of places. Oxy totaled 13 shots from eight different players, including seven that were on target.
"Well I'm glad we got three points. In our conference every three points is difficult to get," Occidental coach Rod Laurie said. "It was good to get three goals, but I still think we have some stuff to work on and some areas to improve."
The first goal was one of a few set pieces that Oxy nearly capitalized on in the first half. James Kornfield played two free kicks into the Leopards' box, that Oxy turned into shots but not goals. On the fourth set piece of the game for the Tigers, White and Schwab beat ULV defenders to the ball and gave Oxy a 1-0 halftime lead.
"That was just two freshman wanting the ball in that case more than the other team," Lafaurie said. "Like most set pieces it's just about wanting the ball and those two did."
Hector Lepe scored for the Leopards to bring ULV within two in the 76th minute, but Oxy was able to hang on.
After the match was in hand for the Tigers, things got physical. Both teams combined for 30 fouls with Brandon Friedel and Peter Careaga getting for the Leopards and Douglas Pentland for the Tigers all getting yellow cards in the second half.
The Tigers are back at home against Redlands University at 7 p.m. on Saturday at Jack Kemp Stadium.
"That's a good test. Redlands is a great team," Lafaurie said. "They've traditionally been one of the best teams in our league so it's a good test to see how we match up."
