Keir's Last-Minute Header, Brown's Golden Goal, Give Stags Dramatic SCIAC Semifinal Win

CLAREMONT, Calif. - Chase Keir headed in a corner kick in the final minute of regulation, and Tommy Brown scored the game-winner with 2:51 left in the second overtime, as the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps men's soccer team survived a valiant effort from an undermanned Chapman team to survive with a 2-1 overtime win in the SCIAC Semifinals on Wednesday evening at Pritzlaff Field.

With the win, CMS improves to 14-1-3 and moves on to face Redlands in the SCIAC Championship game on Saturday night at 7 p.m., also at Pritzlaff Field. Chapman, which was down to nine men after two red cards for the final 35 minutes of regulation and overtime, ends its season at 8-9. 

CMS had the two-man advantage for the majority of the second half trailing 1-0, after the Panthers scored off an early Stag turnover in the sixth minute. However, Chapman was able to pack in its eight-man defense and prevent the Stags from generating many dangerous chances as they tried to run out the clock.

In the final minute of regulation, Jake Allmon earned a corner kick along the right end line, and Lukas Huntington sprinted over to take it. CMS sent the other 10 men into the box, including goalkeeper Eduardo De Anda, preventing the Panthers from being able to mark everyone. Huntington's corner kick went to the far post, just over the leap of De Anda, but Keir was in the right spot and snapped an eight-yard header perfectly into the upper-left corner with only 43 seconds left in regulation to tie the score 1-1 with his first collegiate goal. 

CMS took momentum and the two-man advantage into overtime, where Chapman tried to hang on and force penalty kicks. Chandler Siemonsma had a big day in the Chapman goal with 12 saves to help give the Panthers a chance, including three in the extra sessions.

The Stags finally got the game-winner to go with just 2:51 left, as Keir took a long throw-in that Troy Lehenbauer settled along the right end line. Lehenbauer then chipped a pass to the far side, where Tommy Brown sent a low strike in front of the goal area, where it deflected in past a helpless Siemonsma as the Stags rushed the field with a wild celebration, after coming just 43 seconds from elimination. 

CMS finished with a 30-5 edge in shots, which included 24-1 after halftime, as well as an 11-0 advantage in corner kicks. De Anda did not make a save on the day, but ended up getting the win in goal to improve his career record to 22-1-4.

The Stags will face Redlands, a 2-0 winner over Cal Lutheran in the other semifinal, for the SCIAC title on Saturday night at 7 p.m. at Pritzlaff Field. The two teams met for the SCIAC title in 2019, the last time it was held, and CMS came away with a 2-0 win in that one before advancing to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. Earlier this year, CMS defeated the Bulldogs 2-1 behind two goals from Harper Rubin, in the league opener for both teams.