Cole Smith Earns SCIAC Offensive Player of the Week Award

CLAREMONT, Calif. - Senior forward Cole Smith earned the SCIAC Men's Soccer Offensive Player of the Week Award for games through Sept. 15, the league office announced today.

Smith captured the honor after picking the ideal time to score his first goal of the season, heading in a corner kick with 4:05 left in the second overtime to give CMS a 2-1 win over Saint Thomas (Minn.) in its home opener on Friday night. The Stags led 1-0 for most of the game, before the Tommies picked up the equalizer in the 87th minute, forcing the game into extra time. Smith then got on the back end of a corner kick from junior William Birchard and placed his header perfectly inside the left post to give CMS the dramatic win. 

The victory enabled the No. 8 Stags to conclude their non-conference schedule with a 3-2 record after splitting their first two road trips. CMS fell to No. 3 Oglethorpe in Atlanta before defeating host Emory 1-0 in the second contest. The Stags then earned a 3-1 win over No. 9 Trinity before dropping a 1-0 decision to UT Dallas on a late goal 24 hours later. 

CMS will be back in action on Wednesday night when it opens its SCIAC schedule with a road game at Cal Lutheran before traveling to Occidental on Saturday, where it clinched the SCIAC title outright last year with a 1-0 overtime win in the regular season finale.