PASADENA, Calif. (Oct. 9, 2021) – Caltech men's soccer hosted the Whittier College Poets on what was a warm, breezy morning on home turf Saturday in a tightly contested game marred by 37 fouls and a hard-luck insurance goal for Whittier that put the game out of reach midway through the second half.

The Beavers stormed out of the gate, coming inches away from taking an early lead as freshman forward Andy Dimnaku (Wellesley, Mass. / Wellesley) fired a shot that rang off the crossbar and back into play. Throughout the game, Dimnaku's relentless pressing from the front kept the Poets from advancing the ball effectively. Whittier's only two scores came on a header off a free kick in the 19th minute and on a counter attack after a controversial tackle in front of the Poets' goal.

Fouls were again plentiful in the match, with Caltech being whistled more often than their opponent, for a total of 25 including 16 in the second half to Whittier's four.  Despite that wide discrepancy in the increasingly physical match, the Beavers were able to hold the Poets to just seven shots on goal over 16 total attempts. Senior Daniel Israel (Grand Blanc, Mich. / Grand Blanc) dominated the midfield defensively, forcing Whittier to settle for low-percentage shots - all five on goal of which sophomore Derek Ing (Hong Kong / Hong Kong International School) stopped aside from the two goals allowed.

Head Coach Duncan Gillis and the Beavers are on the road all next week, with their next match set for Wednesday at the University of La Verne.