Stags Open Their Season With A 2-1 Loss, But A Good Showing Overall

On Wednesday, the Lancers of Cal Baptist visited the CMS Stags for the opening game of preseason at Pritzlaff Field.  The Stags hoped to come out strong for their first showing of the year despite a few key injuries, but ended up falling 2-1.  After a very defensive opening of the first half, the Lancers opened the scoring in the 22nd minute after a miscommunication between two CMS players in the back.

Down one-nil at the break, Coach Dan Calichman regrouped the squad, and it showed within the first 60 seconds of the second half. Freshman Alex Licthenberg (Beverly Hills) played a dangerous through ball that penetrated the Lancer's defense and fell to the feet of streaking Stefan Gonzalez (JR, San Gabriel).  Gonzalez made no mistake, burying the ball into the side netting with a perfect finish, giving him his first of many goals to come this season.  With the scores level, neither team seemed to be dominating the play.  In the 74th minute, the Lancers took the lead once again with a 60-yard ball over the top of the CMS defense, and the striker left no chance for the sprawling junior keeper Ryan Fahey (Bellevue, WA).  Although the Stags lost to a strong Cal Baptist side, the overall performance was impressive for their opening game, with many positives and fewer negatives that looked to be improved on over the course of the season.