PASADENA, Calif. — Caltech Men's Soccer hosted SCIAC rival Occidental College on Saturday morning, battling back to earn a 1-1 draw as sophomore Gavin Slocum (Tallahassee, Fla. / Maclay School) found the back of the net in the 86th minute to deny the Tigers a win.
The Beavers' defense held firm through a scoreless first half, with three goalkeepers combining to keep Occidental off the board for more than an hour. Senior Ethan Hamel (Portola Valley, Calif. / Woodside) got the start in net and made two saves across the opening 32 minutes before senior Alex Crowley (Atlanta, Ga. / Paideia) took over and turned aside three more shots.
Caltech came out of the break with renewed energy, putting together nine shots in the second half after managing two in the first. Sophomore Kyler Williams (Blacksburg, Va. / Blacksburg High School) tested the Occidental keeper less than a minute into the half, and junior Matthew Luk (Bel Air, Md. / C. Milton Wright) and senior Ethan Feng (San Jose, Calif. / Lynbrook) followed with attempts of their own.
The Tigers broke through in the 68th minute off a corner kick to take a 1-0 lead. Senior Sam Mathews (Pepper Pike, Ohio / University School), who entered in goal just past the hour mark, kept the deficit at one with four saves over the final 29 minutes, and senior John Ivanov (Mission Viejo, Calif. / Tesoro) added a defensive save in the 77th minute to keep the Beavers within striking distance.
Caltech pressed late, with Luk and junior Dean Yao (Philadelphia, Pa. / Germantown Friends) each forcing saves in the final 10 minutes. The persistence paid off when sophomore Aritz Schube Barriola (Mamaroneck, N.Y. / Rye Neck High School) set up Slocum for the equalizer, his first goal of the season. Mathews made one more save in the 88th minute and the Beavers held on to secure the draw.
