Box Score CLAREMONT, Calif. – Vivian Rojas Collins scored the game's only goal in the 13th minute as the second-seeded Pomona-Pitzer women's soccer team defeated third-seeded Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 1-0 in the semifinals of the SCIAC Tournament on Wednesday afternoon at Pomona-Pitzer Soccer Stadium.

With the win, Pomona-Pitzer improves to 14-2-1 on the year and advances to the SCIAC Championship against the winner of tonight's semifinal between Chapman and Cal Lutheran. CMS ends its season at 11-5-3 with the defeat.

Rojas Collins scored the game-winner 12:21 into the contest when she took a free kick from 25 yards outside the left side of the penalty area after a CMS foul. She struck a perfect knuckle ball that bent around the wall and into the right side of the net.

CMS goalkeeper Andra Marinescu then came up with two quick saves moments later to help keep it a 1-0 score. She first had a diving stop on a long-range shot from Sabina Rajalingham, and then snared a header from Rojas Collins from close range off the ensuing corner kick.

After weathering that flurry, CMS had the better of possession for the middle portion of the half, with Flora Glantz and Sena Howell having shots from distance saved by Patricia DePalma. The Athenas also had a corner kick that DePalma had to punch away from danger, keeping the score 1-0 heading into the half.

Marinescu had a big diving save 10 minutes into the second half to deny Rajalingham on a counter, just getting her fingertips to the ball to push it wide of the post for the corner kick. With 20 minutes left, Marinescu came out of the box to break up a counter, and Lucia Sander had a chance from 30 yards after getting to the loose ball, but she sent it over the bar. Brooke Bailey followed a minute later for the Sagehens with a shot inside the box that missed inches wide of the left post.  

Carmel Randolph then tested DePalma with a long free kick with 12 minutes left that she perfectly placed right under the crossbar, but DePalma was able to make the leaping catch.  Two minutes later, DePalma had to make another difficult punch on a corner kick from Frankie Fragola in front of the crossbar, but was able to clear the ball from danger.

Pomona-Pitzer was able to kill most of the rest of the clock in its offensive end. The Athenas had one final counter, but Jordan Yates had her last effort from the top of the 18 saved by DePalma.

Pomona-Pitzer finished with a 14-9 edge in shots, with each team taking five corner kicks. DePalma had four saves to get the shutout, while Marinescu also had four for the Athenas.

CMS will look to get back to postseason play next year with a restructured lineup following the graduation of 11 seniors, including Marinescu, Ava Allen, Carmel Randolph, Echo Malinowski-Cunningham and Meghan Bartsch in the back, Glantz, Frankie Fragola, and Ruby Fragola in the midfield, and Jordan Yates, Kateri Trujillo and Emily Bersin at forward.