CLAREMONT, Calif. -
Clayton Thomas scored from 25 yards in the first minute of the second half as the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps men's soccer team overcame a 1-0 halftime deficit to earn a 1-1 tie with Pomona-Pitzer on Wednesday evening at Nakasone Field.
The tie moves CMS to 4-2-2 on the season, and 1-1-1 in the SCIAC, while Pomona-Pitzer moves to 4-3-1 overall and 1-0-1 in league play.
Pomona-Pitzer took a 1-0 lead just over seven minutes into the contest when they converted in front in a scramble off a corner kick. The lead held until intermission, but the Stags scored 42 seconds into the second stanza, when Thomas took a pass from
Samir Bouhamama and curled a shot from outside the left edge of the box inside the far post.
CMS had to play down a man for the final 40 minutes after getting a second yellow for tactical fouls, but the Stags were able to bunker down and preserve the 1-1 tie, with
Dane Knudsen,
Jaishan Sharma and
Eric Grossman-Glover anchoring the backline.
Axel Jimenez had seven saves in goal, and
Daniel Zhu cleared a ball off the line off a corner kick with just over 30 minutes remaining to keep the score 1-1.
The Stags nearly were able to steal three points in the closing minutes, as
Roby Hooper had a shot blocked and
Collin Ross got to the rebound in traffic, but wasn't able to find space to get the go-ahead goal. The Stags also had to hold their breath in the closing seconds, as Aidan MacLennan was able to squeeze off a header after Jimenez came off his line, but the ball went just wide of the left post.
Pomona-Pitzer finished with a 20-15 edge in shots and a 7-2 edge in corner kicks. Ross had a team-high four shots, while Zhu added three.
The game served as the official dedication day for Nakasone Field, with Bob Nakasone (CMC '69) and his son Bobby serving as honorary captains pregame, and a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the half with the CMS women's soccer team joining the Nakasone Family.
The Stags will be back in action on Saturday when they host Redlands for a 7 p.m. contest.
