THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - On the back end of a Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) doubleheader with the Regals tonight, the Cal Lutheran men's soccer team hosted Claremont-Mudd-Scripps in what seemed like a déjà vu game. A late first half penalty kick was followed by a second half goal apiece in a 2-1 loss tonight for the Violet and Gold.
An evenly match first half saw the Kingsmen take six shots while the Stags managed five, but with 41 seconds to play before the halftime buzzer, CMS earned a penalty kick that was converted by Michael Crowley to give the visiting squad a 1-0 advantage, similar to the women's game earlier in the night.
Tal Zaiet had a legitimate opportunity in the 38th minute, but it was saved for the only one of the half and back-to-back shots in the 66th from Chris Ortiz and Brandon Kearney provided a pair of chances, but again the ball was smothered by the CMS goalie.
With nine minutes to play, Zaiet found and open Kearney for the equalizing goal, which also marked the 12th of the season for the sophomore forward. CLU threatened five and a half minutes later as well when Nick Baldi and Bryan Hulse each fired off a shot moments apart.
Three seconds before the final buzzer, CMS chipped the ball from midfield to Mehron Abdi who dribbled and fired a laser to the bottom left corner of the net to stun the Kingsmen and all but put the game in the books.
Off the bench, Hulsecreated some chances as a forward as did Aspen Smith who served as a defender tonight. Benjamin Gabella and Charlie Villa-Lovos also played key defensive roles in the game.
Overall, CLU outshot CMS 15-12, though the Stags took six shots on goal with the Kingsmen managing five. Kearney notched four shots with Baldi, Gabella, Zaiet and Pedro Zaccarelli each tallying two. Sean Williams finished with four saves as did CMS keeper Daniel Cui.
Cal Lutheran (2-12-3, 2-10-2 SCIAC) returns to William Rolland Stadium for the final time of 2015 on Monday, Oct. 26 for a 7:00 p.m. kickoff against Redlands. Prior to the game a group of seven seniors will be recognized.
Box Score: CMS 2, CLU 1
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