Box Score Occidental 3, Colorado College 2
Player of the Game: Goalkeeper Tristan Cooper made save after save as the Occidental men's soccer team took one step forward in its attempt to change its culture, winning at Colorado College in its season opener on Friday.
Cooper logged 90 minutes with nine saves.
Turning Point: The Tigers played a consistent 90 minutes, according to head coach Rod Lafaurie, despite falling behind 1-0 and going up 2-1 only to have Colorado College tie the score, they still managed to make plays late.
Play of the Game: Todd Kawada finished off a solid team counter from the top of the box, dancing his way to a left-footed strike that found the back of the net and gave Oxy a 3-2 lead in the 70th minute.
Stat of the Match: The Tigers had assists on two of their three goals. Morgan Bennett-Smith found Connor Freeman and Alessandro Carotenuto found Benjamin Sartor. Kawada's goal was unassisted.
From the Coach: "We dug our heels in and played like a family for 90 minutes," Lafaurie said. "We went up, we went down. I couldn't be more proud of the way our guys played. We have some work to do, but this was as good a first game as we could have asked for."
Season Impact: The Tigers needed a win to help wash off a down 2013 season. Oxy has two more non-conference matches before beginning SCIAC play on Sept. 8 at Whittier at 7 p.m.
Next Game: Oxy plays its second game at Colorado College on Saturday against Mary Hardin-Baylor at 2 p.m.
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