The California Lutheran University Kingsmen recorded their seventh shutout of the season, defeating the Occidental Tigers 1-0 on Oct. 9.

CLU got things going with a key mistake from Occidental as the Tiger goalkeeper Ian Agrimis fouled senior midfielder Bryce Truver.

“I saw the cross coming in the box and bodied up the goalie,” Truver said.  “I knew the play would turn into a penalty kick or a goal.”

The Kingsmen were awarded a penalty kick on the play and sophomore captain Alex Wardle was called upon to take the penalty shot, getting the lone goal of the night.

Overall, this match was a defensive battle with only four shots taken for the Tigers and eight for the Kingsmen in the first half.

“This year we have been solid defensively, now with the conference tournament coming up our focus is going to be on getting more goals,” said Cameron Rude, junior forward.

The Kingsmen almost went up by two in the 57th minute when sophomore midfielder Logan Cone took a shot from the 25-yard line, sailing the ball over the net.

“The game was an ugly one but a win is a win,” said head coach Dan Kuntz on clusports.com.

With only a few days of rest, the Kingsmen traveled to Redlands, who are currently in first place.

The first half was all offense for the Kingsmen, taking 12 shots on goal, and the Bulldogs close behind with 11.

“During the game, we just couldn’t connect on any of our attempts, but overall, we had great offensive pressure,” Truver said.

CLU ended the half 0-0 against the Bulldogs.

Sophomore goalkeeper Jack Duncan had a great game coming up with seven saves on 24 shot attempts total from the Bulldogs.

Fifteen minutes into the second half, Redlands connected on a shot from Matej Kustara, which would eventually be the game winning goal.

“We had a defensive mistake that cost us the game,” Rude said.  “One of their midfielders sprinted past us for a counter attack that eventually led to the goal.  We played well and battled hard for 90 minutes. We just couldn’t come up with a goal on our end and that is something we will look to change for our next game.”

With six games left in SCIAC play, the Kingsmen are looking for their first bid to the SCIAC tournament and hopefully a SCIAC championship.

“This year, we have more experience in the backfield, which has helped us late in games,” Rude said. “With only six games left, we are pushing for a chance to play in the championship game.”

The Kingsmen, who as of Oct. 13 had a record of 6-2-2, will host  Chapman on Oct. 19 at 7 p.m.

Zachary Kaija
Staff Writer
Published Oct. 16, 2013