LOS ANGELES — Occidental played La Verne to a 2-2 tie Wednesday in a conference match at W.C. Patterson Field at Jack Kemp Stadium. Occidental went ahead late when
Elijah Edelman scored at 87:18 on a penalty kick, but the Tigers finished level after La Verne answered before the end of regulation. Occidental finished with a 23-12 shot advantage, including 15 shots and nine corners in the second half.
Occidental struck first in the fourth minute, with
Piero Falconi Pujalt scoring at 3:16 for a 1-0 lead.
Occidental continued to create chances early, including
Charlie Miller's shot off the right woodwork and additional attempts from
Andrew Lee,
Alex Yu and Edelman, before La Verne's Alexander Bastidas tied it at 1-1 at 19:44.
After the equalizer, Occidental pressed again with corner kicks at 23:45 and 27:00, while
Joshua Lang put two shots on goal that Joshua Simonton saved.
Casey Scott made saves on La Verne chances from Juan Manzano and Tyler Valdez, and the first half closed with the match still tied 1-1 after a more physical final stretch.
Occidental took a 2-1 lead at 87:18 of the second half when Edelman converted a penalty kick during a late push that included nine shots and three corner kicks from 79:05 to 89:01.
Earlier, with the match tied 1-1, Occidental opened the half with sustained pressure, earning five corners by the 60:53 mark while
Ethan Carr and
Lewis Park each put shots on goal.
After a physical stretch that included fouls on both sides and a yellow card to
Isaac Wright, Occidental resumed the attack with chances from Lee,
Kent Ortiz, Carr, Falconi Pujalt and Miller. Scott made a save in the 89th minute, but La Verne equalized through Alexander Bastidas at 89:41, and the match finished tied 2-2.
