LOS ANGELES — The Caltech men's soccer team battled Occidental College on Saturday night in a tightly-contested matchup with strong defense from both squads.

It was the hosts who opened the game with several good looks at the net, with the first one coming in the fifth minute as an Oxy attacker rocketed a would-be goal towards the net's top-left corner, though sophomore goalie Ethan Hamel (Portola Valley, Calif. / Woodside) jumped up for the save to keep the game scoreless. Soon after the Tigers had three opportunities within a three-minute span; the first was a corner kick in the eleventh minute which they were not able to score on followed by two shots in the fourteenth minute that also did not find the back of the net with Hamel saving one.

Caltech played into their strong defense against the two-loss Tigers which meant limited looks on goal. The Beavers did have a chance in the twenty-sixth minute with a shot by junior midfielder Etienne Casanova (San Jose, Calif. / Saratoga), but the ball sailed just over the top of the net. Casanova had another look with just over ten minutes remaining in the half but was not able to connect. The shot would be his second of five in the match.

After some missed opportunities by both ends and strong defense limiting the offenses, the teams entered halftime squared up at 0-0.

Entering the second half, the defenses did not let up with both teams narrowing the passing lanes and making it difficult for either offense to create chances. Occidental's first shot of the second half came in the 61st minute, with a boot over the top of the net.

Caltech bid their time before pressing offensively in the backend of the half. Casanova launched another shot in the sixty-eight minute that was unsuccessful followed by another one in the seventy-third minute with the same result. Following a corner kick, first-year defender Henry Gaston (Bethel Park, Penn. / Bethel Park) substituted in and would make an immediate impact with a pass from Casanova which he delivered into the back of the goal, scoring the first points of the match and giving the Beavers a 1-0 lead. The goal was Gaston's first career score as a Beaver.

Caltech recorded a number of other shots that did not find their way into the net before a Tiger goal off a penalty kick evened the game 1-1. The team kept pushing and got off another shot attempt before the clock ran out but were not able to score. The match ended in a draw after a tough fight by the Beavers.

Hamel finished with two saves on the day; the Caltech defense limited the Tigers to just three shots on goal over the course of the game.

The group will return home to take on the University of Redlands this Wednesday, Oct. 23, at 4:00 p.m at North Field. Follow along online at GoCaltech.com/coverage.

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