When the Pomona-Pitzer men's soccer team faced off against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps on a crisp, sunny Wednesday afternoon, there was a great deal at stake. With a one-point lead in SCIAC standings going into the game, Pomona-Pitzer needed either a win or tie to capture the division title. Also at stake was an automatic bid to the postseason for the SCIAC champ.

From the moment the starting whistle sounded, it was clear that the Stags had their hearts set on avenging their loss to P-P earlier in the season. They came out on the offensive, and wasted no time attacking the Sagehen defense. Ten minutes into the first half, CMS midfielder Matt Snell '01 received a cross behind the Pomona-Pitzer defense and chipped a shot off the hands of a diving Nick Zabriskie '01 for the goal.

Physically, the Stags played like they were on a mission. They fought their way to every ball, and used their bodies to get position. Though the physical play won Snell a yellow card only 1:30 after his goal, it was clear that the aggressiveness was benefiting the Stags.

On the other side of the ball, the Sagehens appeared much less energetic. Their defense appeared lethargic as players let obtainable balls elude them. Offensively, the Hens seemed flat and were unable to set up any sort of organized strike.

Midway through the first half, Pomona-Pitzer began to step up its level of play. Relying heavily on the experienced leadership of seniors Jason Magee and Sean Daugherty, the Sagehen offense composed itself enough to make some drives at the goal. When Daugherty was taken down as he turned to shoot just outside the CMS box, Pomona-Pitzer had its first real scoring opportunity of the day. Freshman Mario Velez's shot sailed high, and the Stags escaped unscathed.

CMS kept up its high intensity offense throughout the half. When the Sagehen defense knocked the ball out of play deep in Pomona-Pitzer's half of the field, the Stags capitalized on a bomb of a throw from the sideline. The throw flew into the Sagehen box where it was headed around a few times, and eventually found its way by a diving Zabriskie for a goal. As the teams went into halftime, the Sagehens were down 2-0.

Feeling the two-goal cushion underneath them, the Stags settled into a defensive set as play began in the second half. Daugherty once again led the Pomona-Pitzer attack, but he came up short on a couple good opportunities deep in CMS territory. Finally, nearly 15 minutes into the second half, things began to go Daugherty's way. After freshman midfielder Joe Amick chased the ball down in the corner, he sent a rolling center to the box. Daugherty executed a beautiful sliding chip shot over the CMS keeper to bring Pomona-Pitzer within one.

By this point in the second half the Sagehens had stepped up their aggressiveness both on offense and defense. But, with 21:00 left in the half, a CMS midfielder found his way down the sideline without any defenders near him. He lifted a pass towards the Pomona-Pitzer box which was headed in past freshman goalkeeper Jay Schneider to make it 3-1.

The remainder of the game was hectic, to say the least. Christopher Hunter '01 brought the Hens back within one with a beautiful play just outside the CMS box. He settled a deep pass on his chest, let the ball bounce once, and then rifled off a bullet of a right footer past the CMS keeper. The final 15 minutes saw several Sagehen opportunities, but the CMS defense held off the Pomona-Pitzer attacks, and eventually won the contest 3-2.

With the loss, Pomona-Pitzer ended its season one-point behind the Stags in the SCIAC standings, with a record of 11-3-0. That guarantees the Sagehens at least a share of second place in the division, depending on the outcome of the final Redlands game against Cal Lutheran. Overall, the Hens finished a successful 13-7-0, having scored 58 goals and allowed only 26.