Caltech Men’s Soccer Claims Third Straight Victory

The Caltech Men’s Soccer team picked up its third win of the season in dominant fashion, taking down Southern California Leadership University 3-1 Friday morning.

Caltech’s hot start to the season continued with three gorgeous first half goals, allowing just one goal to the visiting Rhinos late in the second half.

The Beavers struck first in the 16th minute of play, scoring on a corner kick. Junior Etienne Casanova (San Jose, Calif. / Saratoga) floated the ball into the box, where classmate Jack Myles (Houston, Texas Bridgeland) fed a header pass to senior Andy Dimnaku (Wellesley, Mass. / Wellesley), who buried it to claim the pivotal first goal of the day and his third in as many matches.

Caltech stayed aggressive on offense, applying pressure on the Rhinos and tallying seven shots in the first half and all three goals coming within a 15-minute span. The Beavers found the back of the net again just over four minutes after the first one; this time it was forward Ishaan Mantripragada (Saratoga, Calif. / Harker School) with a strike from the top of the box and his first goal of the season.

Caltech continued to control the game by keeping offensive possession and finding open space around the Rhinos’ net. Casanova extended his team’s lead to 3-0 just after the half-hour mark, ripping a goal into the top right corner after the set-up assist from sophomore midfielder Ethan Feng (San Jose, Calif. / Lynbrook).

Head Coach Duncan Gillis praised his team’s strong start while highlighting its potential. “Definitely some things that we need to tighten up and keep working on,” he said. “But the boys have started us off with three wins, which is great. We’re excited for a really good test against a talented Swarthmore team on Sunday!”

The Beavers took a 3-0 lead into halftime with a strong 45 minutes from goalkeeper Ethan Hamel (Portola Valley, Calif. /Woodside), and the defensive unit frustrated the Rhino attack by allowing just four shots on goal in the contest.

Caltech looks to keep its undefeated season going this Sunday as they face off against Swarthmore College (1-0-1) on the North Field. Kickoff has been moved up to 9 a.m. in light of excessive heat in the forecast.