Men’s soccer rolls past Whittier in home opener

ORANGE, Calif. – The Chapman University men's soccer team rolled past the visiting Whittier College Poets 4-0 in its 2018 season home opener. Four different Panthers tallied goals, but senior Javier Bernaldo came in with two clutch assists in the dominant win.

Chapman struck early in the 14th minute when junior Justo Garcia and senior Kai Howe combined for the first goal of the match. A soft pass from Garcia lined Howe up on the edge of the 18-yard box. The senior captain struck the ball low far post, sliding it just past the goalkeeper's arms into the side netting.

The two sides battled back and forth for the rest of the half, but the Panthers turned it into high gear for the second half of play. Chapman scored again just under nine minutes into the second half to extend their lead. Bernaldo set up for a free kick on the edge of the 18-yard box on the far right side, slotting it perfectly to junior Patrick Quinn, who hit a one-time volley into the back of the net.

The rest of the half was all Panther action. Less than 10 minutes later, Bernaldo set up for a corner on the left side, curling the ball perfectly into freshman Aidan Wall's path for the rookie's third goal of the season. Junior Jonah Tipp capped off the scoring, getting up for a header off a cross from freshman Tobi Howe with just 43 seconds left to play.

Whittier was unable to capitalize on their 13 shots. Sophomore Chandler Siemonsma was solid in the net for the Panthers, tallying four saves in 90 minutes of play for his first career shutout.

Chapman heads to Redlands this weekend to continue SCIAC play but returns to Wilson Field on Monday, Sept. 10 to host Pacific Lutheran at 2pm.

by Katie Bell
Sports Information Assistant

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