After two periods of overtime, the Kingsmen soccer team tied 1-1 with the No. 13 University of Redlands Bulldogs in William Rolland Stadium  Oct. 21.

The tie comes after the California Lutheran University men’s soccer team lost 2-1 against Redlands in mid-September.

“Overall we played really well,” center forward Diego Ortega said. “I think the key factor today was that we just said that we were going to go all out at them [with] high pressure and put them on on their heels.”

This game sets the Kingsmen up to go to playoffs in November as they maintain their SCIAC rank and bring their conference record to 8-2-2.

Early in the game, the two teams rallied back and forth across the field. Cal Lutheran stuck to a modified 4-4-2 formation, which they learned from previously playing Redlands.

“[We had] four in the back, four in the midfield, two up front, modified a little bit in that from the four in the back, one would step in a little bit when we needed to. And we worked on that modification depending on what the team’s done,” Head Coach Dan Kuntz said.

But this setup left the Kingsmen short in the first half when Redlands scored the first goal of the game.

“I think we just need to be more consistent with our passes, especially in the midfield, so we don’t allow for transition,” Kuntz said. “I also think we have to put goals away when we have the chance to put the ball in the net.”

With key defender Daniel Aguilar out of the game on suspension, the Kingsmen could not keep the ball forward enough to score for the rest of the first half.

“We had a goal in mind, and that was that they were not going to beat us, we were going to beat them,” said midfielder Daniel Pacheco, who stepped in as a defender for this game. “We did not want the tie, but you know, our goal was to beat them, and that’s where our mentality was, and that’s how we kept it going.”

Early into the second half, Cal Lutheran kept the pressure on Redlands, but it wasn’t until 14 minutes remained in the game that Ortega took an assist from forward Joey Arnold for the only Kingsmen score of the match.

“I was really happy; I think we deserved it,” Ortega said. “I think we maintained more possession than them throughout the game, and I knew it was going to come, and when it came, it was a great feeling.”

In two overtime periods, Cal Lutheran managed two shots on goal, neither of which paid off. The game finished with Redlands leaving with an undefeated conference record and the SCIAC regular season championship.

It has been a decade since Cal Lutheran’s has ranked top two in the SCIAC conference.

“[This tie] means a lot, this is a big step for us. Especially in the league, we clinched second,” Pacheco said.

The Kingsmen will challenge Chapman for the final home game of the regular season on Oct. 25.

The Kingsmen will take what they learned from this game through the end of this season and into the postseason tournament.

“Just keep calm, play your game,” Kuntz said. “Stay organized, and when you get the chance, run at these guys. Don’t play like they are the champions, play like you are the champions.”

Rachael Balcom
Reporter