Offensive Shootout Favors Tigers in SCIAC Tilt

LOS ANGELES, Calif. - The Occidental Tigers led the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps men's soccer team 1-0 at the half on Wednesday, before the two sides combined for seven second-half goals. The flurry of activity favored the Tigers and pushed Occidental past CMS 5-3.

Occidental held a 3-0 lead, but the Stags stormed back in the 63rd minute with a pair of goals from Matthew Swift (CMC) and Aidan Johnson (CMC) just 23 seconds apart. The response from the Tigers came in a pair of goals in the 74th and 76th minutes to push the home team back up three at 5-2. Matthew Swift earned his brace in the 87th minute with an unassisted tally, but the Stags fell 5-3.

CMS and Occidental combined for eight goals on just 15 shots (10-5 Occidental).

The first 45 minutes of the night did not tip off the offensive explosion that was waiting after halftime. CMS and Occidental battled through the first-half, with Occidental having the majority of chances but shots were hard to come by. The Tigers attempted five corner kicks in the half, but could only manage five shots throughout the period. Occidental did find the back of the net in the 39th minute to dent the scoreboard first and take a 1-0 lead.

Looking for the equalizer late in the half, Adam Singer (CMC) sent a shot on frame in the 45th minute but it was turned away by the Tigers' keeper, Dante Amodeo, for one of his two saves in the half. That save protected Occidental's one-goal lead heading into the break.

Just moments after the half, things got wild. Liam Walsh doubled the Occidental lead just 18 seconds into the half and less than 15 minutes later that lead turned to 3-0 with a goal from Ariel Rosso in the 59th minute.

CMS did not go down quietly, scoring on back-to-back shots in the 63rd minute. First it was Matthew Swift scoring his second goal of the season on a pass from Patrick Burke (CMC). Just 23 seconds later, Aidan Johnson found the back of the net off a pass from Henry Kraham (CMC) to cut the lead to just one goal at 3-2.

The newfound momentum quickly swung back in favor of the Tigers after Occidental scored goals in the 74th and 76th minutes to take a 5-2 advantage.

A late goal by Swift in the 87th minute was not enough to spur a comeback as the Stags fell 5-3 in an offensive shootout.

In the second-half alone, the two teams attempted eight shots and found the net seven times.

The loss drops the Stags to 2-7-0 overall and 2-5-0 in the SCIAC. CMS will next be in action on Saturday when they host Pomona-Pitzer on Pritzlaff Field. Game time is slated for 7:00 p.m.