Box Score PASADENA, Calif. (Sep. 25, 2021) – Caltech men's soccer kicked off its first home game of the season against a SCIAC opponent and executed a masterful counterattack to net their first goal in a cagey battle that could have swung either way until the end.
Freshman forward Andy Dimnaku (Wellesley, Mass. / Wellesley) gained possession in the 27th minute and expertly fed a long ball to senior Rohan Mirchandani (Pleasanton, Calif. / Foothill), who timed his run perfectly to stay onside and create a one-on-one rush against the Sagehens' goalkeeper, sneaking the ball past him and into the net for the equalizer and the Beavers' first goal of 2021. The super senior registered three scores in 2019, two in 2018 and another in his rookie year.
Caltech's defense held its ground against a fast and furious Pomona-Pitzer offense, spending much of the game in its own half of the field. Freshman Allan Yang (San Diego, Calif. / Del Norte) was a particular bright spot in the midfield as his defensive play around the penalty area broke up several Pomona-Pitzer threats. Senior defender JD Walker (Grand Blanc, Mich. / Grand Blanc) also aided Caltech's defense with some clutch headers and calm on-ball presence to neutralize some dangerous Sagehen attacks.
Sophomore goalkeeper Derek Ing (Hong Kong, Hong Kong International School) played the full 90 minutes and made six saves in his calm, composed effort.
Head Coach Duncan Gillis and the Beavers are back in action at home on Wednesday, Sept. 29 at 4 p.m. against Occidental College.
