Unfortunate Deflection Hands CMS Men's Soccer Overtime Defeat to Chapman

CLAREMONT, Calif. - Tobi Howe's shot in the first minute of overtime deflected off a defensive player inside the box and wrong-footed sophomore goalie Jacob Mays as the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps men's soccer team suffered its first SCIAC loss of the season, dropping a 1-0 decision at Pritzlaff Field on Wednesday evening.

The loss drops the No. 8 Stags to 9-3-1 overall and 6-1-1 in the SCIAC, ending an eight-game unbeaten streak dating back to a 1-0 loss to UT Dallas back on Sept. 7. Chapman improves to 4-9 overall and 3-5 in league play with the win. 

CMS controlled play for most of the second half, outshooting the Panthers 10-4 in the second session, but was unable to find a go-ahead goal. In the final minute of regulation, Chapman had a chance against the run of play, as Mays had to punch a header from Connor McLane over the crossbar to force the game into overtime. 

The momentum carried over into the extra session as the Panthers scored the game-winner just 31 seconds in. A loose ball pinged around the top of the 18-yard box, where Peter Senko played a short pass to his right to Howe, who let lose with a shot that was headed towards the right side of the net. Mays slid to his left to defend the shot and appeared to be in position, but it deflected off a CMS defender and back to the opposite side of the net, as Mays helplessly watched it crossed over the line for the game-winner.

CMS put Chapman under heavy pressure early in the second half, taking five shots between the 53rd and 59th minutes, including three from sophomore William Barton. Senior Cole Smith and sophomore Grant Donaldson both had shots that bent across the net towards the upper-left corner in the second half that missed barely wide, and a quick flurry in the box in the 84th minute resulted in a shot blocked from sophomore Ethan Tyng inside the box with the rebound falling to Barton's feet, but his second effort was saved by Chapman goalie Chandler Siemonsma.

The Stags had their best chance of the first half in the closing minutes, as first-year midfielder Evan Kim put a shot on target with Siemonsma off his line, but the Chapman defense rotated back to clear the shot away in the 43rd minute. Sophomore midfielder Samay Rahim also had a shot tease the net on a 20-yard free kick in the 24th minute but it went just wide of the left post. 

CMS finished with a 16-11 edge in shots and a 10-5 advantage in corner kicks (7-2 in the second half). Mays finished with three saves for CMS to get a 90-minute shutout before suffering the defeat in overtime, while Siemonsma had three saves for Chapman. 

CMS will be back in action on Saturday when it hosts La Verne for a 7 p.m. contest.