OCCIDENTAL 3, WHITTIER 1

LOS ANGELES — Connor Freeman scored a pair of goals in less than 1 minute in his first home game back from injury as the Oxy men's soccer team won its fourth in a row, beating Whittier at Jack Kemp Stadium on Monday.

The Tigers (10-4, 7-4 SCIAC) have now won six of their last seven games.

Freeman, a dynamic offensive player who's missed seven of the last eight games with a shoulder injury, broke free on two counter attacks after Whittier's Alex Mitchell tied the game on a free kick from 25 yards out.

Oxy goalkeeper Theo Atkinson secured the ball in the box, fired a 50-yard baseball pass to Tod Kawada, who drew the attention of the entire Whittier back line and placed a perfect pass to Freeman at the top of the box, giving Oxy a 2-1 lead in the 60th minute.

It was Kawada's SCIAC-best 17th point in league play.

Just seconds later, Freeman broke free in transition again and found the net, putting the Tigers comfortably in front.

Oxy midfielder Zack Conrad wasn't rewarded with a goal, but made a pair of nifty moves at the top of the box, firing two shots just over the cross bar. 

Alessandro Carotenuto scored Oxy's first goal in the 18th minute by rebounding his own missed penalty kick and tucking it safely past the Poets' keeper. 

Alone in Second: With the win, the Tigers own second place all by themselves, two points ahead of Chapman. 

From the Coach: "I was happy with the way our guys bounced back after they tied the game," Oxy head coach Rod Lafaurie said. "And obviously it's good to have Connor back to add to our offense."

Stat of the Game: The Tigers have scored 31 goals in 14 games this season.

Next Game: The Tigers play their third game in five days against first-place Pomona-Pitzer on Wednesday at Jack Kemp Stadium at 7 p.m.