CLAREMONT, Calif. (Nov. 1, 2007) – A
defensive game from the get-go remained just that with the
exception of a 75th minute goal to give the Occidental
College Tigers a 1-0 victory in their first Southern California
Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Post Season Tournament
appearance.
In the 75th minute freshman
Jesi Sasaki overcame pressure from a Redlands
defender in the corner of the field and launched the ball ten yards
out in front of the goal to freshman midfielder Ali
Caditz who tapped the ball into the right corner of the
goal to break the scoreless tie.
Evenly matched teams exchanged seven shots and
12 fouls. Occidental took three corner kicks while Redlands had
just one.
Mid way through the second half freshman Tiger
Season Falkler-Rodriquez saved the scoreless game.
She cleared the ball away from the goal after the Bulldogs took a
shot that hit the post, shooting straight down and bouncing up as
if to be headed into the net.
Following the Oxy score, Tigers defenders
played tough for the final 15 minutes of regulation.
Senior goalie Melissa Warner
blocked five shots and Redlands' goalie Tenley Rawlings
finished with three saves including a diving stop in the
82nd minute.
Occidental improves to 11-5, 10-3 in SCIAC
play and the Bulldogs season ends with an overall record of 9-6-3,
7-5-1 SCIAC.
The Tigers and Bulldogs met on Pritzlaff Field
on the campus of host Claremont-Mudd-Scripps in the second game of
the day.
In the first game of the night the Cal
Lutheran Regals (8-10-3; 7-4-2 SCIAC) upset the SCIAC Champion
Athenas (13-6; 10-3 SCIAC) 2-0 on CMS turf.
Saturday, Nov. 3 the Regals will travel back
to Los Angeles for the final SCIAC game of the 2007 season. In both
previous meeting this season, on Sept. 29 and Oct. 29, the Tigers
blanked the Regals 2-0.
The Championship game will be held at the
Lower Soccer Field on the campus of Occidental College, as the
highest seeded team remaining. Kickoff with the Reglas is slated
for 12:00 p.m.
