CMS Men's Soccer Salvages 3-3 Tie with Cal Lutheran

CLAREMONT, Calif. - Justin Blachman twice gave the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps men's soccer team leads in the first half, but the Stags needed a late Rafael Otero penalty kick to come away with a 3-3 tie against Cal Lutheran on Wednesday evening at Pritzlaff Field.

With the tie, CMS moves to 4-3-5 on the year, and 4-1-2 in the SCIAC, while Cal Lutheran moves to 4-2-4 and 3-1-2 in league play. 

Otero knotted the score at the 81:16 mark of the second half after Cal Lutheran's Aidan Johnston was called for a red card for a hand ball on the goal line on a shot from Eric Sanchez denying CMS the equalizer momentarily. Davis Sharts guessed correctly on the Otero penalty kick, but Otero placed it perfectly and out of the reach of Sharts' outstretched hand. 

CMS had one final chance to win in the last minute, when Sanchez got on the back end of a cross, but his shot was deflected by a Cal Lutheran defender and the Kingsmen were able to see out the final minute down a man. 

Blachman put CMS ahead 1-0 off a quick steal, when he took a short pass from Ben Pelz and slipped a shot over Sharts and in at the 22:59 mark. Cal Lutheran answered 5:35 later with a penalty kick, but Blachman responded less than two minutes later off a feed from John Laidlaw. 

Cal Lutheran tied it in the opening minutes of the second half when Giovanni Torres headed in a cross from Juan Valencia, and then Johnston scored on a header off a free kick taken by JP Melgoza to give the Kingsmen their only lead at 3-2. 

CMS will be back in action on Saturday when it hosts Sixth Street rival Pomona-Pitzer for a 7 p.m. contest.