Bulldogs and Stags Advance to the Second Round of the NCAA Men’s Soccer Championships
The No. 13/15 University of Redlands and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges won their respective first-round contests of the NCAA Men's Soccer Championships at Farquhar Field on Saturday, leading to a familiar showdown in Sunday's 5 p.m. match. The Bulldogs took down the Northwest Conference co-champions, Pacific Lutheran University (WA), by a solid score of 4-1, while the Stags defeated regional foe Chapman University in a 1-0 decision.
Redlands and CMS look forward to meeting for a fourth time this season. The Bulldogs hold the overall advantage, going 2-0-1 against the Stags. But CMS recently gained the edge in an overtime shootout just a week ago during their latest encounter at the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Postseason Tournament.
In Saturday's first game, Redlands ripped off four netters against the Lutes of Pacific Lutheran to extend its unbeaten streak to 18 games. The Bulldogs displayed why they are the third-ranked scoring offense in the nation as the team has notched three or more goals in 17 games this year.
Senior forward Cody Carlson (Burbank, CA) got on the board first for the Bulldogs with a sweet, slicing score in the 12th minute of action. The quick-footed striker made a couple of moves past a PLU defender before burying the Maroon and Gray's first goal from nearly 25 yards out.
Less than two minutes later, PLU responded when it took advantage of a Bulldog foul inside the box. Senior midfielder Surafel Wodajo punched home the Lutes' lone goal, converting a penalty kick at the 13:28-mark to even up the ball game.
With one of the most electric goals of the season, junior reserve forward Alex Laughton (Pleasanton, CA) provided the eventual game-winner with 9:24 left in the first half when he absolutely crushed the ball into net at the far post.
After the intermission, Redlands looked determined to silence PLU by applying even more offensive pressure.
A mere 4:21 into the second half, senior forward Jamie Griffin (Seattle, WA) notched his 23rd point of 2011, giving Redlands a 3-1 lead. Sophomore midfielder Evan Keny-Guyer (Portland, OR) picked up his first assist of the season when he connected with Griffin.
The team's leading goal-scorer, freshman forward Charles Izydorek (Redlands, CA), came off the Bulldog bench to ice the match in the 86th minute, striking home his 14th goal of his rookie campaign. Freshman forward Matej Kustura (Las Vegas, NV) and Griffin played a nice right-to-left touch before crossing the ball into the middle of the box where Izydorek finished off the scoring chance.
Sophomore goalkeeper Andreas Silva (San Jose, CA) came up big for the U of R, stopping four shots, which included an acrobatic, diving save in the second half, en route to his 17th victory.
Overall, Redlands controlled the stat sheet, outshooting Pacific Lutheran, 26-10, while holding a 10-3 advantage on corner kicks.
In Saturday's second match, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps defeated Chapman University by a score of 1-0. Senior forward Eric Bean played a major role for the Stags' victory, registering the game's only goal while also posting a game-high five shots.
Stag senior defender Sam Ullman dished a cross into the middle of the box where Bean connected for the game-winner at the 16:22-mark. Bean has now scored CMS' last two goals during the Stags' postseason run.
In goal, senior Frederick Doar tallied a complete-game shutout, collecting three saves in the process.
Overall, CMS possessed the contest's momentum by putting up 11 more shots than the Panthers (17-6) while also winning the corner-kick battle, 3-1.
Redlands (19-3-1) and CMS (14-5-2) match up once again on Sunday in the second round of the NCAA Championships at 5 p.m. on Farquhar Field.
For complete tournament information please visit http://www.goredlands.com/sports/msoc/2011-12/files/NCAA_Tourney.
