The No. 2-seeded University of Redlands men's soccer team gave it their all but ended up on the wrong side of a 0-2 decision in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Postseason Tournament Championship at top-seeded, No. 13/25 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges on Saturday night.
The Stags opened up the game, scoring on their first shot to make it 1-0 just under nine minutes into the game.
Junior midfielder Derrin Valeri (Atlanta, GA) attempted to answer minutes later, but his shot was blocked by the CMS defense. In the 28th minute, Valeri blasted another shot that landed on target, but the Stags' goalkeeper made the stop. Redlands' next best chance of the half came from sophomore forward Steve Acuña (Pico Rivera, CA) at the 32:43-mark, but his shot was saved as well.
In the second half, the Bulldogs stepped up defensively in the first couple minutes with a block and a save from first-year goalkeeper Adrian Munoz.
The Maroon and Gray offense attempted to steal momentum away in the 62nd minute with three shots in a three-minute span. Sophomore defender Peyton Menti (Seattle, WA) and first-year forward Ethan Kovach's (Las Vegas, NV) shots were blocked by CMS defenders, while first-year forward Joseph Parra's attempt (West Covina, CA) was saved.
In the 74th minute, CMS converted its second goal of the game to extend their lead to 2-0.
Sophomore midfielder Avery Jacobson (Seattle, WA) worked the last shot for the Bulldogs in the 83rd minute, but his attempt went high.
Redlands (10-5-3, 8-2-2 SCIAC) awaits the possibility of an at-large bid to the NCAA Championship Tournament.