CMS Women's Soccer Sees Season End With Tough 1-0 Loss at Chapman

ORANGE, Calif. - The Claremont-Mudd-Scripps women's soccer team had a very successful 2019 season, earning 10 wins and suffering only four losses, but the fourth loss was a heartbreaker as the Athenas fell 1-0 to Chapman on Saturday to come up just short in its quest to return to the postseason.

The loss, coupled with Occidental's win over La Verne, leaves CMS in fifth place for the second year in a row, one spot out of qualifying for the four-team conference playoff. The Athenas end the year at 10-4-3 overall and 6-4-2 in conference, but the top-heaviness of the league (CMS was fifth at 6-4-2 and Redlands and Whittier tied for sixth at 3-6-3) meant that one of the top five teams would be left home. 

CMS went into the day tied with Chapman at 6-3-2, knowing that win or a tie would put the Athenas in the tournament, since they won the first meeting with the Panthers 1-0. Things were going according to script at the half, as the score was tied 0-0 and Chapman had yet to put a shot on target over the first 45 minutes. 

The first shot on frame proved to be difference, as the Panthers broke the 0-0 tie with 24:53 remaining when Faith Holloway scored off an assist from Stephanie Fox. Seniors Sarah Tocher and Rhiann Holman each had bids for equalizing goals after, but both were saved by Chapman goalie Kelsey Bland, who had four saves to get the shutout. 

Chapman held a 12-8 edge in shots for the game, with Tocher and senior Kira Favakeh each tallying two for the Athenas. 

CMS will look to replace a talented senior class next year, as Holman, Tocher, Favakeh, Gabrielle Clouse and Hayden Craig graduate off a team that has improved from six wins to eight wins to 10 wins over the last three years. The Athenas will return its entire defensive unit in tact, but will need to look to some new faces to provide scoring punch after Holman (eight goals, seven assists), Clouse (five goals, one assist), Favakeh (three goals, three assists) and Tocher (one goal, seven assists) finished the year as the top four scorers for CMS.