CLAREMONT, Calif. - John Laidlaw and Rafael Otero assisted on each other's goals 4:20 apart in the second half to give the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps men's soccer team a 2-0 lead and the second-seeded Stags held on for a 2-1 win over third-seeded Occidental in the SCIAC Semifinals on Thursday evening at Pritzlaff Field. 

With the win, CMS improves to 13-3-3 overall on the season and advances to the SCIAC Championship game on Saturday night, which it will host on Saturday against fifth-seeded Chapman, which upset the top-seeded Redlands Bulldogs on penalty kicks in the other semifinal. Occidental, which reached the Round of 16 in the NCAA Tournament a year ago, falls to 9-3-6 with the loss.

The first goal of the game was the result of a corner kick with 27:56 left in regulation, as Otero sent a low cross towards the near post. Laidlaw was the first one to it, and flicked it inside the near post for a 1-0 lead. 

Just 4:20 later, Laidlaw centered a ball into the middle of the box and Otero was able to win a 50-50 battle, and tuck a 15-yard shot inside the left post by bending a shot with the outside of his foor to put the Stags ahead 2-0. 

Occidental was able to cut the lead in half with 14:02 to go when Charlie Miller sent a ball into the box from 30 yards out that took a deflection, before Andrew Notter was able to bang it home from 15 yards out to make the score 2-1. 

Miles Demarest had seven saves for the Stags to get the win, and Daniel Kotkosky played the final 14 minutes and finished out the victory, pulling in a couple of dangerous crosses to help secure the spot in the finals. 

CMS will host Chapman on Saturday night for the SCIAC title and the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament. CMS won the regular season meeting between the teams 3-0 on Sept. 21, behind two goals from Otero and one from Laidlaw.