CMS Men's Soccer Battles Back Twice for 2-2 Tie with Redlands

CLAREMONT, Calif. - The Clarmeont-Mudd-Scripps men's soccer team twice answered goals from Redlands in the final 20 minutes of regulation as the Stags were able to remain unbeaten in SCIAC play with a 2-2 tie on Wednesday evening at Pritzlaff Field.

With the tie, CMS moves to 7-2-1 overall and 4-0-1 in the SCIAC, remaining alone in first place in the conference. Redlands moves to 2-4-2 overall and 2-2-1 in league play. 

The game was scoreless for the first 70 minutes, and then saw four goals scored in a span of 15 minutes, with the Stags coming from behind both times. Steve Acuna scored the first goal of the contest for Redlands on a rocket with 19:37 left in the contest, taking a short pass from Jonathan Cheung and blasting one into the upper-left corner past the dive of Stag goalie Jacob Mays. 

The momentum from the goal was short-lived, though, as CMS answered just 1:19 later on the first collegiate goal from first-year left back Ben Pelz. The play developed up the left sideline, as Pelz worked a give-and-go with fellow first-year Jake Allmon. After getting to a bouncing ball at the top of the six-yard box, Pelz was able to force a shot past the Redlands defense that was tipped by Redlands goalie Adrian Munoz but had just enough on it to cross over the line to even the score. 

Redlands, though, struck again in the 81st minute, as Ethan Kovach was able to get loose in the penalty area for a header that forced a diving save from Mays. Collin Chubb-Fertal was there for the Bulldogs to pounce on the rebound with the net open and convert from six yards out to put the Bulldogs back in front 2-1 with only 9:13 showing on the clock. 

CMS once again responded to the challenge down a goal, earning a quality scoring chance off a counter, with senior forward Cole Smith blasting a 25-yarder that was saved over the end line by Munoz for a corner kick. On the ensuing corner, junior William Birchard bent an inswinger to the far post, where junior forward Daniel Rohde bicycled it back towards the net with his back to goal. The ball took a deflection off a Redlands defender and tucked inside the right post for Rohde's second goal of the year to level the score back up at 2-2 with only 4:25 remaining in the game.

In order to get the game to overtime, Mays had to make a diving save in the 89th minute to deny Joseph Parra of Redlands on a blast that was headed for the upper-left corner. The Stags had a golden chance to win in the second overtime, but sophomore forward Ethan Tyng missed tantalizingly wide of the left post with a diving header, while Chubb-Fertal had a header in close in the final minute of the second overtime that also missed wide. 

Mays finished with a career-high eight saves for CMS to earn the tie in net, including two in the overtime sessions. Munoz had five saves for Redlands, while Mikey Flota had a defensive save to clear a ball off the line from Rohde in the second half with the score tied 0-0. 

CMS will be back in action on Saturday when it travels to La Verne for a 7 p.m. contest.