By Ron Smith
November 8, 2025
 
(SANTA BARBARA, Calif.) The 2025 season came to an end today for Westmont Men's Soccer (6-9-2, 2-7-1 PacWest) with a 3-0 victory over the Penguins of Dominican (5-10-1. 3-6-1) at Thorrington Field.
 
"I think throughout the game, we played really well," said Westmont's head coach. "Two of their best chances came from bad giveaways or moments we could have progressed the ball better. Luckily, we had an unbelievable performance from (goalkeeper) Aiden Strickler in the first half to keep the score sheet at zero."
 
Strickler tallied seven saves during the game, five of which were in the first half. At least two of those goals came at point-blank range.
 
"Going into the second half, I think we knew that there were going to be a lot of opportunities for us," reflected Cathey. "We made a couple adjustments at halftime, where we thought the spaces were going to be, and I think our guys executed tremendously. They played so well in the second half and obviously we scored three goals - two of them indirectly from set plays, but really all three from set plays."
 
The first of those goals came in the 49th minute of play. Erik Guerrero sent a corner kick to the top of the six-yard box  with his left foot. From the right-hand corner of the box, Serkan Durna recorded his sixth goal of the season when he headed it into the left-hand crease.
 
The second goal was recorded in the 64th minute. Leonel Olivo Ortiz used his right foot to send a corner kick from the right side to Valdez who was 10-yards in front of the goal. Valdez headed it downward and toward the goal, but it deflected off a Penguin defender and back into play. Kristian Johnson saw the loose ball and beat Valdez to it, driving it into the left side of the goal for his second goal this season.
 
In the 87th minute Jackson Obleda produced his first goal of the year and the second of his Westmont career. Cooper Matthew threw a ball in from the right touchline that found the head of a Dominican defender. The ball went to the right side of the goal near the endline where a Penguin defender attempted to clear it up the field. The ball took one bounce before Obleda popped it up in the air, then volleyed a shot with his left foot into the left corner from 22-yards out.
 
The 3-0 win was the largest margin of victory for the Warriors since defeating La Verne by the same score on September 8.
 
Prior to the game, Westmont honored seven seniors for their contributions to Westmont soccer:

• John Ruetschle
• Mario Floriano
• Christian Jiminez
• Erik Guerrero
• Serkan Durna
• Marco Valdez
• Alex Reyes

"Each senior here has had a unique road," noted Cathey. "When I watched each one of them walk down, I thought of the stories that each one of them got to tell for their own experience. We're going to talk about each one of them for a long time because whether it's Christian in the example that he's been to our team, or whether it's the guy that probably had the most accolades, Erik, both of them have equally had such a great imprint on our program. Those guys have been a part of some pretty special experiences.
 
"Then, for Marco and Mario - two of our six transfers - Westmont has had a huge imprint on their lives. I'm really grateful that they got to come and be a part of the Warrior family. They've been excellent representations of what we hoped they would be, and they've given a lot. Every one of those guys, I could talk about at length."