CMS Women's Soccer Falls on the Road to Pomona-Pitzer

CLAREMONT, Calif. - Hannah Mandell scored two goals in the first 30 minutes as the Pomona-Pitzer women's soccer team took a 4-0 home win over Claremont-Mudd-Scripps on Wednesday evening at Pomona-Pitzer Soccer Field.

The win improves Pomona-Pitzer's record to 11-1-2 overall and 7-1-2 in the conference, while CMS slips to 7-3-3 overall and 4-3-3 in the league. 

CMS got off to a strong start in the first 10 minutes, putting consistent pressure on the Pomona-Pitzer defense. The best scoring chance in that stretch came when Sam Ryan tracked down a long pass that resulted in the ball squirting free in the box with the Sagehen goalie out of the play, but a defender was able to shield her just enough to prevent her from slipping a shot in the vacant net. Emma Fogg also got on the back end of a set piece, but had her header from inside the 18-yard box sail just high under some defensive pressure, and Kaitlyn Helfrich's bending shot from just outside the 18 missed wide of the upper-right corner. 

Mandell was then able to break the scoreless tie in the 12th minute when she tapped in a cross as the Sagehens stole momentum back, and then she added another tap-in goal on a rebound in the 30th minute. Junior goalie Athena Manthouli finished with a career-high 14 saves for CMS in the loss. 

The loss sets up a dramatic final week for the Athenas, who are in a tight four-way battle for the final two SCIAC Tournament spots. They will play two of the teams they are battling with (Redlands and Chapman), and will likely need at least a win and a tie to secure one of the four bids. 

Before getting back to SCIAC play, though, CMS will host UC Santa Cruz on Saturday at noon for a non-league game, and they will honor their two graduating seniors, Ava Sherry and Gracyn Buenconsejo, prior to the game.