CLAREMONT, Calif. -
Samir Bouhamama scored 17 seconds after Occidental took the lead, and
Eric Grossman-Glover broke the tie with a header in the 82nd minute as the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps men's soccer team came back to earn a 2-1 win over preseason SCIAC favorite Occidental on Saturday evening at Nakasone Field.
With the win, CMS improves to 7-3-3 on the year and 4-2-2 in the SCIAC, while Occidental slips to 4-4-4 overall and 2-2-3 in league play. It is also the sixth time this season that the Stags have earned a result after trailing in the second half, including a 3-2 win over UC Santa Cruz and a 2-1 win over Cal Lutheran, as well as their three ties.
Elijah Edelman put Occidental in front at the 53:41 mark when he hit a 20-yarder inside the left post. Just 17 seconds later, though, the Stags were back level after Bouhamama ran down a long ball from
Daniel Zhu at the top of the 18-yard box and went top shelf into the upper-right corner to level the score.
The game stayed level at 1-1 until the closing minutes when the Stags maintained possession after a free kick was blocked by the wall.
Clayton Thomas played the ball to
Brayden Merza outside the right side of the penalty area, and Merza one-timed a cross into the box. Grossman-Glover was able to leap and head a bending ball into the upper left corner from 15 yards.
It marked the second game in a row that Grossman-Glover has scored, after also tallying a goal in a 2-0 win over Caltech on Wednesday. They mark the first two goals of the senior center back's career.
CMS came close to taking the lead late in the half, but Bouhamama's shot with 1:30 to go in the half was saved off the post by Occidental goalkeeper Carlos Abram and
Sean Lee had his rebound shot go over the crossbar.
Axel Jimenez had seven saves to get the win for the Stags in goal.
Atticus English also returned the lineup after missing the last month with an injury, playing 75 minutes off the bench in the Stag defensive four.
CMS will be back in action on Wednesday when it takes on Azusa Pacific on the road in a non-SCIAC contest.
