CMS Men's Soccer Defeats Chapman 3-0, Finishes Unbeaten in SCIAC

CLAREMONT, Calif. - The Claremont-Mudd-Scripps men's soccer team celebrated Senior Day on Saturday by accomplishing something that had never been done before in program history, defeating Chapman 3-0 to become the first team to end the regular season undefeated against Division III competition.

With the win, CMS concludes the regular season at 13-1-3 overall and 10-0-2 in SCIAC, with the only defeat coming on Sept. 3 to Westmont of the NAIA. The Stags did have an undefeated regular season in their debut season in 1968, but that was when they were competing in the NAIA, before the NCAA Division III was formed. It was also the first time that the Stags have gone undefeated in league play since 1993. 

Rafael Otero, Troy Lehenbauer, and Eric Sanchez scored goals for CMS, with all three of which assisted by Lukas Huntington. 

CMS came into the game with the top seed in the SCIAC Tournament already clinched, and secured the regular season title outright for the third straight season with a tie at Occidental on Wednesday. In fact, CMS and Chapman will play again at Pritzlaff Field on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. in one of two league semifinal games, with Redlands and Cal Lutheran meeting in the other. 

Before the game, the program's seven seniors were honored, including goalie Eduardo De Anda, center backs Samay Rahim and Grant Donaldson, midfielders Harper Rubin, Nate Huntington, Houston Engleman, Bryan Uribe and forwards Ethan Tyng and Will Barton.

De Anda, who has lost only one game in his CMS career, in the NCAA Sweet 16, was called on in the first half to preserve a shutout and came through when he stopped a Chapman penalty kick. He even got back off the ground to clear the ball away with his leg before the Panthers could secure the rebound into the empty net. 

That swung the momentum towards the Stags, and they capitalized late in the half as Lukas Huntington sent a cross into the box that was headed in by Otero with 6:33 left in the half. Early in the second half, Lehenbauer struck for his first career goal off a corner kick, heading it in after the Chapman goalkeeper came off his line. 

Huntington then stole the ball late in the game for the finishing touches on the win, sending Sanchez in alone behind the defense with 5:57 remaining to make the final score 3-0. 

De Anda gave way to Kevin Box in the closing minutes as the seniors were given curtain calls, losing credit for the shutout, but still picking up the win to improve to 21-1-4 in his career as the CMS goalkeeper. 

CMS will open the SCIAC Tournament on Wednesday hoping to repeat as champions, after winning in 2019 with 2-0 victories over Occidental and Redlands. The year before, the Stags met Chapman and played to a 0-0 tie, before the Panthers advanced on penalty kicks.