CLAREMONT, Calif. – Brooke Bailey scored in the 57th minute for the game's only goal and the No. 12 Pomona-Pitzer women's soccer team held off a late flurry to take a 1-0 win over Claremont-Mudd-Scripps on Wednesday afternoon at Pomona-Pitzer Soccer Field.
With the win, the Sagehens move to 4-1-1 on the season, including 2-0-1 in the SCIAC, while CMS moves to 4-2-2 overall and 1-1-1 in conference.
Ten minutes into the second half,
Echo Malinowski-Cunningham sent a cross into the front of the net that
Lexie Roth was able to deflect on target from just inside the six-yard box, but DePalma was able to make a reflex save to keep it out of net. Minutes later, the Sagehens scored on a through ball from Anya Offenbacher-Jones that Brooke Bailey was able to chip over
Andra Marinescu and into the net with 33:56 to go.
CMS nearly had the equalizer with 24 minutes left, when
Elsie Lindeman got behind the defense and dribbled past DePalma, but as she tried to slot the ball into the empty net from a sharp angle, Pomona-Pitzer defender Vivian Rojas Collins was able to sprint back in front of the net to knock the ball off the goal line.
The Sagehens then came close twice to getting an insurance goal, but one shot from distance hit the crossbar in the 72nd minute, and another required a diving save from Marinescu in the 76th minute.
Flora Glantz then had a shot from distance with five minutes remaining that teased the upper-left corner, but DePalma was able to push it wide.
On the ensuing corner, Roth got to the ball at the far post in a crowd of players, but her deflection was blocked along the goal line and cleared away. With a minute left,
Frankie Fragola had a bid for a goal near post that resulted in another diving stop from DePalma, and after the corner, Troy had a shot inside the box go just wide with 30 seconds left, as the Sagehens held on.
The Athenas had a couple of first-half chances, including a play with
Avni Udupa stole an outlet pass and nearly chipped the ball in from 30 yards, but Sagehen goalkeeper Patricia DePalma was able to retreat to make the catch.
Sierra Troy was also played in behind the Pomona-Pitzer defense and had a long-range effort go just wide to the left, and Udupa had a cross from the endline, with two Athenas waiting at the far post, that DePalma was able to stop with a leaping deflection.
Marinescu had three of her six saves in the first half, including a tricky one on a short-hop, while
Nicolette Daniel had a key defensive play to poke the ball away for a corner just before a Sagehen was able to run on to it at the top of the box.
CMS will be back in action on Saturday, when it travels to Redlands for a 5 p.m. contest.
