CLAREMONT, Calif. - The Claremont-Mudd-Scripps surrendered a goal in the first minute to SCIAC-leading Occidental, but responded with three straight goals to take a 3-2 win over the Tigers and move into the top of the league standings on Wednesday evening at Pritzlaff Field.
John Laidlaw,
James Gomez and
Heiko Schultz scored for the Stags, who now stand at 10-2-1 overall and 6-2 in the SCIAC with the win. Occidental falls to 8-2-3 and 5-1-2 in the league with the loss, putting CMS one point ahead (18 to 17) with a rematch at Occidental looming in seven days.
Andrew Notter scored one minute into the game off a cross from Aiden Aley to put Occidental on the front foot, but the Stags were able to flip the scripts with two goals less than six minutes apart. Laidlaw got CMS back on level terms at the 26:41 mark, when he got to a loose ball just outside the top of the penalty area, and sent a hard, low shot inside the left post.
Just 5:35 later, Gomez put the Stags up with a blast from almost the same sport and into the same side of the net.
Nico Del Villar was able to play a short pass to him at the top of the 18, and Gomez took one dribble to his right, before sending a rocket into the side netting to make it a 2-1 game with 12:42 left in the half.
CMS then picked up a key insurance goal in the opening minutes of the second half, when
Liam Hall was able to put pressure on the Occidental defense and poke the ball free with Tiger goalie Riley Nyhan off his line. Schultz ran onto it with the net empty and was able to put a left-footed shot into the net to put the Stags ahead 3-1.
Eddie Saladie got Occidental back within 3-2 with a header with 15:31 left, and the Tigers were able to threaten late, but
Miles Demarest had two saves in the closing minutes, one of them a big one from close range to help the Stags hold on for the win. Nyhan also had a big save the other way to deny Laidlaw his second after Laidlaw got in behind the defense on a counter.
The game was evenly played, with Occidental holding a 14-13 edge in shots, and each team taking five corner kicks. Nyhan had seven saves for Occidental, and Demarest had five for CMS.
CMS will be back in action on Saturday when it hosts La Verne for a 7 p.m. contest, before heading to Occidental for a big rematch next Wednesday.
