Men's soccer clinches top seed on Senior Day

ORANGE, Calif. – After a 0-0 draw with Occidental, the Chapman University men's soccer team clinched the top seed in the SCIAC Tournament for the first time in program history. With the draw, the Panthers improved to 6-0-4 in the SCIAC and 9-1-6 overall.

The celebrations began early as Chapman recognized the 12 seniors playing in their final regular season home match before the opening whistle. The celebration continued after the final whistle as Chapman made history with the regular season title.

The two teams played to even box score in the first half but Chapman controlled much of the second half. They took 10 shots while holding Occidental to just one. Chandler Siemonsma was not forced to make a save in the second half but made two in the first for his fifth shutout.

Tobi Howe took three shots and put one on goal. Riley Nyhan made five saves for Oxy, who plays Cal Lutheran on Saturday with the second seed in the SCIAC Tournament on the line.

Howe gave the biggest scare of the night when he hit the post in the 58th minute. A free kick from 40 yards out dropped in at the penalty spot. Howe rose above his defender but his header hit the left post to keep the match scoreless.

In the 77th minute, an Occidental free kick led to the Tigers' best chance. Aiden Aley had the ball bounce to his feet in the box with space for a quick shot. His shot rose just above the crossbar to keep the match knotted at 0-0.

The Panthers end the regular season on the road at Redlands on Saturday. As the top seed in the SCIAC Tournament, Chapman will have a bye in the expanded postseason tournament format and will host the winner of the match between the No. 4 seed and No. 5 seed on Friday, Nov. 4 at 7 p.m.

By Steven Olveda
Sports Information Director

Become a fan of Chapman Athletics on Facebook
Follow Chapman Athletics on Twitter @ChapmanSports
Post your #PantherPic to Instagram @ChpmanSports