Men's soccer one step closer to first SCIAC berth after Senior Day win
ORANGE, Calif. – In its final home match of the regular season, the Chapman University men's soccer team defeated Pomona-Pitzer, 1-0, inching closer to the program's first-ever SCIAC postseason tournament berth. The Panthers will clinch a spot with a Cal Lutheran loss on Saturday evening or a Chapman win in one of the two games remaining.
The Panthers' victory at Wilson Field on Saturday marked the eighth win in their last nine contests and has given the club the third-best record in the conference among playoff-eligible teams.
Chapman (10-5-2 overall, 8-4-1 SCIAC) fought off several early Sagehens attacks as GK Nick Berardi and the Panther defense withstood seven shots to hold Pomona-Pitzer scoreless through the first half.
The Panthers snapped the scoreless tie late in the half as sophomore F Karam Gill sunk a point-blank shot into the back of the net with 59 seconds on the clock. Gill's goal, off an assist from freshman M Daniel Malikyar, was his third of the season and his first since Sept. 9 vs. Caltech.
Pomona-Pitzer (7-10-1 overall, 6-7-1 SCIAC) outshot the Panthers 5-3 in the second half, but Berardi made four saves over 45 minutes including a clutch save in the 80th minute to earn his second straight shutout and sixth on the season.
Berardi will take his 235 minute scoreless streak into the Panthers next contest on Monday at Whittier at 7 p.m. Chapman will conclude the regular season at Redlands on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
Boxscore: http://chapmanathletics.com/sports/msoc/2013-14/boxscores/20131026_8r15.xml
by Ryan Cavinder
Sports Information Assistant
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