SCIAC Tournament: 5 things to know

THE MATCHUP

No. 4-seeded Chapman hits the road to face the No. 1-seeded Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Stags in the 2021 SCIAC Semifinals. The Panthers ended the regular season with a 7-5 conference record while the Stags finished 10-0-2 in the SCIAC. The Panthers fell 1-0 the first time the two teams faced back in September in a match decided in the last 12 minutes of regulation, Chapman played down a man for the last 15 minutes. Chapman ended the 2021 regular season with another a 3-0 loss to CMS but secured their spot in the postseason.

WALL'S BREAKOUT SEASON 

Senior Aidan Wall earned SCIAC Offensive Athlete of the Year honors and led the SCIAC and the Panthers with 10 goals, scoring 13 overall, and secured 20 conference points. Wall tallied seven game-winners that tied the school record and led the SCIAC, despite suffering an injury that cost him four matches. He led the conference with 40 shots taken and three penalty kicks made on three chances. He doubled his scoring total to 23 goals ranking him in the top-25 in Chapman history with 46 career points.

COULD HISTORY REPEAT ITSELF? 

Men's soccer went into the 2018 postseason ranked fourth and was crowned the SCIAC Champions for the first time in Chapman history. They first upset the conference regular season champs, the top-seed Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Stags. Ring any bells? After a scoreless regulation and overtime, Chapman topped the nationally ranked Stags 5-4 in penalty kicks. The No. 3-seed Occidental Tigers defeated the No. 2-seed Redlands Bulldogs allowing Chapman to take down the Tigers 1-0 in the SCIAC Championship game. Current senior Tobi Howe scored the game-winner.

RAMP UP THE HEAT 

Chapman looks to bring back the heat after the Panthers embarked on a five-game winning streak in the month of October but ended the season with three losses. However, stats only got warmer as the team moved into October and closed out the regular season. Chapman tallied 11 goals and 31 points in September compared to October's 16 goals and 37 points. The teams goals against average dropped from 2.00 to 1.57 securing four shutouts compared to September's one.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN 

The Panthers average a 1.30 goals for average at home compared to a 2.33 goals for average while away, scoring more goals on the road than at Wilson in the 2021 season. Chapman played only six away matches compared to the ten played at home. The away success included five goals in Redlands to defeat the Bulldogs 5-4, four goals to crush the Leopards 4-0 in La Verne, and four more to best the Beavers 4-0 at Caltech.