PASADENA, Calif. — Occidental (5-6-6, 3-4-5) played Caltech (6-9-2, 2-8-2) to a 1-1 draw on Saturday. Occidental generated sustained second-half pressure from 69:38 to 78:48, taking four shots and earning four corner kicks during that stretch. The Tigers finished with 22 shots and 11 shots on goal, while Caltech had 11 shots and seven on frame.
Men's soccer will miss the SCIAC Tournament for the first time since the 2021 season. The reigning champs reached at least the semifinals in each of the last four seasons, winning two tournament titles.
Occidental generated the bulk of the first-half chances, taking 10 shots and earning three corner kicks while holding Caltech to two shots in a scoreless opening 45 minutes. The early push included shots by
Noah Armour and
Elijah Edelman, followed by back-to-back saved attempts from
Ted O'Brien and
Yordan Marinov in the 14th minute.
Carlos Abram kept Caltech off the board with a save in the 17th minute, and Occidental continued to press after the first half's midpoint with attempts from
Enzo Bernales, Edelman and Marinov. The Tigers closed the half with sustained pressure, including a
Daniel Lee shot saved in the 41st minute and three corner kicks in the final eight minutes, but the match remained 0-0 at halftime.
Alex Yu scored off an Edelman assist in the 68th minute to put Occidental ahead 1-0. Earlier, Abram kept the match scoreless with saves on Kyler Williams, Ethan Feng and Aaron Henslovitz, while Occidental began building chances through
Ethan Carr, Armour, Edelman and Bernales. After Yu's goal, Occidental kept pressure on Caltech with four corner kicks in less than seven minutes, including an Edelman shot that John Ivanov cleared with a defensive save and a Bernales attempt saved by Sam Mathews. Caltech tied the match on Gavin Slocum's goal in the 86th minute, and Occidental answered with late shots from Edelman and Yu before the second half — and the match — finished 1-1.
Occidental Top Performers
Alex Yu
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- one goal
- two shots
- one shot on goal
Elijah Edelman
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- one assist
- seven shots
- three shots on goal
Carlos Abram
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- six saves
- 90 minutes played
Enzo Bernales
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- four shots
- two shots on goal
Occidental ends the season 5-6-6 overall and 3-4-5 in conference play. Caltech is 6-9-2 overall and 2-8-2 in conference play.
