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The 2019 CMS men's soccer team celebrating the SCIAC Championship. Words over the photo read: Championship Memories Saturday. CMS Men's Soccer 2019 SCIAC Finals / NCAA Regional Finals, CMS 2, Redlands 0; CMS 2, Trinity 0
Posted: Sep 18, 2020

Championship Memories Saturday: CMS Men's Soccer Earns 2019 SCIAC, Regional Titles

2019 CMS Men's Soccer Postseason Links
SCIAC Semifinals vs. Occidental: Recap, Photo Gallery, Highlights
SCIAC Finals vs. Redlands: Recap, Photo Gallery, Highlights
 NCAA Opening Round vs. Texas Lutheran: Recap, Postgame Interview
 NCAA Regional Finals vs. Trinity: Recap, Photo Gallery 

The CMS Men's Soccer team began the 2019 SCIAC Tournament with a dominant first half against Occidental in the semifinals, and yet the score remained 0-0 at the break. The Stags were playing at a high level, holding an 8-0 advantage in shots and forcing Occidental goalkeeper Scott Drazan to make five saves, but had yet to break through on the scoreboard.

There was still another 45 minutes of regulation to play, but the longer the game stayed deadlocked, the more the pressure would start to mount.

In 2018, CMS had one of the greatest turnarounds in the country, going from a four-win season the year before, into a 15-2 regular season and a national top-25 ranking. The Stags won the regular season SCIAC title and earned the right to host the conference tournament, and boasted the top-ranked defense in the nation with only four goals allowed all season.

The semifinal opponent was Chapman, and the CMS defense remained stout as usual, allowing only one shot on frame in 110 minutes. But the Stags were unable to find the net either, and the game went to penalty kicks, before the Panthers moved on with a 5-4 win in the shootout. Adding to the sting was that CMS was left out of the NCAA Tournament, despite its impressive regular season.

"It was tough losing in the semis of 2018," said defender William Birchard. "It hit a lot of us hard. We made huge leaps from the previous year, and to then see us go out in PKs was gut-wrenching."

The 2019 squad brought virtually everyone back after graduating only two seniors, and the team had 12 months to let that semifinal loss simmer under the surface. The Stags played a tougher schedule, and gave up a few more goals over the year as they tried to develop a more dynamic attacking mindset to complement their already strong defense. Once again, CMS won the regular season SCIAC title, thanks to a 2-1 overtime win at Whittier in the final week, and served as host for the league tournament for the second year in a row.

The Stags were more than a little excited to get the postseason underway. Sports doesn't always give you a second chance to avenge heartbreak, and CMS was determined to take advantage of a new opportunity to cap off another strong regular season.

"I think that (2018) loss was really what we needed as a team because it gave us a chip on our shoulder," said forward Daniel Rohde. "We came into the 2019 season feeling like we had something to prove, and we knew how good of an opportunity we had with that team, so we just made sure we took care of business come tournament time."

"We all realized how close we were to reaching our goals and we also saw how far we had come from the previous year, so we carried that into the 2019 season," said defender Kevin Proudfoot. "That entire season was played with an intensity and confidence that I had never seen before. Losing in the tournament again was simply not an option after all the hard work we had done to get to where we were. It really felt like everyone was doing whatever they could to help the team succeed."

The first half of the SCIAC semifinal game with Occidental didn't provide the immediate reward that perhaps the Stags had hoped for all year. A couple of great scoring chances resulted in big saves or near-misses, and the team hit intermission with the '0' still shining ominously on the home half of the scoreboard. There was encouragement in the team huddle, as CMS remained optimistic that the second half would help them avoid repeating the history that was still raw in their minds. 

Ten minutes after kickoff, the soccer gods gave the Stags the break they needed. Birchard, who has always been a dangerous threat on free kicks, lined up from just over 25 yards out, picked out his corner, and sent his usual rocket on target. The ball grazed an Occidental defender and changed direction, but remained on frame, wrong-footing Drazan and settling into the net to give the Stags that huge first strike they needed. 

"It was like a massive weight off my chest and our team's," said Birchard of the go-ahead goal. "For me personally, it meant the world for that to go in because then I knew they weren't scoring on us. I knew that goal would give us the win and that we were ultimately over this hurdle and fear of being knocked out in the semis again."

With the ice broken, CMS took control of the game and the tournament. Forward Ethan Tyng followed four minutes later with an insurance goal off an assist from William Barton as the Stags won 2-0. Three days later, CMS struck in just the ninth minute of the championship game against Redlands, as senior Cole Smith (who missed the 2018 SCIAC Tournament with an injury), scored to take the pesky '0' off the scoreboard right away off the second SCIAC Tournament assist from Barton, and Tyng, the Tournament MVP, added his second goal of the postseason off a feed from Justin Blachman with 16:55 to play to make it a 2-0 game.

The work still wasn't done, as a 2-0 lead is often cited as a dangerous score in soccer. Often the winning team gets complacent and lets up a bit, gives up a momentum-changing goal, and has a hard time flipping the switch again. For the Stags, though, defensive composure was right in their wheelhouse. Over their two-year run, they were 31-0 in games in which they took a lead, only once needing overtime to defeat Saint Thomas after giving up a late equalizer.    

"I think there are a lot of contributing factors that helped us keep leads and get shutouts, but one of the most important factors in my opinion is that we all knew the game plan," said Proudfoot. "Everyone bought into our defensive tactics, so it made it really hard for other teams to break us down. It was also a big help that we could sub in five or more guys at a time and the level never dropped. We had such a deep team and our togetherness made it easy to want to fight for the guy standing next to you."

But trying to hold on for a championship was new territory, and the Stags knew that staying in the moment and not getting too excited with the banner feeling so close was pivotal.

"It was massive, I think that game really showed our maturity and professionalism on the pitch," said Birchard. "For us to stay locked in for a full 90 is not easy, and I believe we managed to do it every game of the season and it showed with the results. Redlands is one of those teams that if they get a hint, they will start to tack on the pressure and build momentum and that's the last thing we wanted from them."

"We as a team pride ourselves on our defense, and that takes focus all the time," said Rohde. "A quick lapse in concentration can easily lead to a goal, and that's typically how we got scored on in the regular season, so we knew how important it was to lock down late in games and to not give away anything."

Indeed, the last 16 minutes of the game ticked off with no lapses, and the Stags had their title and their NCAA Tournament bid, getting to celebrate in front of an overflow crowd of supporters at Pritzlaff Field.

"Two-goal leads are definitely nerve-racking, especially in big games," said Proudfoot. "But we were very prepared for those moments. Being a center back, I try to pretend it's still a 0-0 game. I know we will win if I do my job correctly. The forwards did their job by getting us the lead, but the tough part about defending is you can't stop until the game is over. Fortunately, the guys in front of me worked so hard and made it much easier for us defenders."

The run didn't end there, as the Stags headed to Trinity University for an opening-round NCAA matchup with Texas Lutheran at one of the four-team regionals. A pair of fouls in the box led to a pair of first half penalty kicks, and Birchard twice got to step to the spot with postseason pressure. That pressure wasn't new to him, his overtime penalty kick in 2018 against Occidental clinched the regular season title, and he also made his against Chapman in the semifinal shootout, and his experience paid off as he buried both, sending the Stags on to their third straight 2-0 win.

"PK's are all about confidence, and to know that I have the team behind my back regardless of what happens means everything," said Birchard. "I practiced them after about every practice, and each time I focus on the same thing: three steps back, deep breath, side netting. Nothing changes in my preparation each time, no matter if it goes in or not because I know my routine works for me."

The win set up a game against host Trinity with a regional championship at stake, and CMS found itself in another tight 0-0 game until late in regulation. That was when a moment of magic from Rohde provided one of the season's highlights.

Rohde won a 50-50 ball outside of the penalty area and took possession near the corner flag. He cut towards the top of the box and faced a defensive roadblock, before a quick move got him past two defenders and towards the end line. He then chipped a perfectly-weighted cross to Tyng, who snapped a header into the net to give CMS a 1-0 lead with just 11:54 left.

"One of my greatest strengths is taking guys down the line and putting balls in the box," said Rohde. "So when I found myself isolated there late I knew I had to make something happen. Their center back, who was their best player in the air, had stepped out to me, so I knew that we had a good chance to win the cross after I got some separation. When I looked up to serve, I saw Tyng waiting in the middle and he just did what he had done all season...score goals."

Once again, CMS had the pressure of closing out with the lead, and once again, it succeeded at staying in the moment, which was becoming a matter of routine as its postseason run kept continuing.

"After we went ahead, there was a small feeling of relief because we were now in the driver's seat, and we had confidence that our defense would keep us in the game," said Rohde. "We still couldn't let up though until the final whistle was blown."

In fact, just 3:30 later, sophomore Samay Rahim scored his first collegiate goal on a free kick to effectively put the game away, a moment which Birchard picked as his favorite memory of the tournament run. 

"If I had to pinpoint one moment, it would be after Sam scored on the free kick," said Birchard. "Sam is an incredible man, player, and teammate. To see him get his first goal in such a huge stage and to see the excitement on his face made me so happy inside."

After killing off the final seven minutes for its fourth 2-0 win in a row, CMS had a regional championship, as well as its first trip to the NCAA Sectionals (Round of 16) since 1985.

"That was such an amazing feeling," said Birchard. "To be on the road and beat the hosting team was incredible. It was one of the best feelings I have had, especially after the match with all the parents and guys around, it was one big family and I was blessed to share it with all of them. In the moment, all I knew was that we kept on dancing and were granted one more trip with a special group of guys."

For the upperclassmen, it also represented a tangible reward for the hard work that took them from a four-win season in 2017 to four postseason wins in 2019 (and 16 wins overall).

"I think that was one of the most euphoric moments of my soccer career," said Proudfoot. "Seeing the progression from my freshman year to that moment just made me so happy and gave me a real sense of accomplishment. It was a long journey to get to that point, but I think we really earned that moment. I know the guys in the classes below me will continue to grow what our class and the year above us helped build."

The next trip saw the run end in the Round of 16 against Centre, as an early goal in the opening minutes forced the Stags to play from behind. It seemed over down 2-0 with four minutes left, but goals from senior Adam Singer and Rohde sandwiched around a Centre breakaway brought CMS within 3-2. Only a spectacular last-minute save by Centre's goalie prevented the score from leveling, before the Colonels sealed a 4-2 win on an empty-netter after all 11 Stags came forward into the box on the ensuing corner kick.  

Other than the national champion (and a few teams that win their regular season finale but don't qualify for their conference tournament), everyone ends their season with a loss. But winning the conference tournament and the NCAA Regionals gave the 2019 Stags plenty of championship memories they will always cherish, especially after the long year of waiting for the second chance to earn them.

"This team really felt like family, so it was just awesome to be able to spend more time with them than I normally would have," said Proudfoot. "Some of the best moments came from the bus and locker room after wins like the one against Trinity. I also cherish the moments that I had with my parents after those games. They have supported me so much throughout my entire career, and it was really special to be able to have that moment with them after the game."

"My favorite memory of the postseason was definitely winning the SCIAC Tournament," Rohde said. "It was the greatest feeling to win it on our home field in front of all of our friends and family after losing the year before. It really felt like a redemption tour, being able to celebrate with everyone was just a great way to cap off the season."