Box Score CLAREMONT — A pair of second-half goals were the difference in the Occidental College men's soccer team's 2-0 loss at Pomona-Pitzer on Wednesday and the only thing keeping Oxy from a first-place tie with Claremont-Mudd-Scripps and Whittier in the SCIAC standings.
John Richardson (Palo Alto) had Oxy's best chance to score midway through the first half with the score still tied, 0-0. Pomona-Pitzer goalkeeper Nigel Brady left his line to punch out a cross leaving Richardson open inside the Sagehens' six-yard box. But Richardson, who scored a game-winning header in the 90th minute to beat Cal Lutheran on Monday, couldn't mimic the same magic, missing the shot wide left.
In the second half, Guy Thyer opened the period with a goal in the 47th minute and Danny Nasry provided some insurance in the 77th, giving Pomona-Pitzer (4-4-1, 3-2-1 SCIAC) the victory.
Had the Tigers (4-3, 3-3 SCIAC) won, they would have been tied with the Stags and the Poets, with 12 points at the top of the conference. Instead, Oxy sits in sixth, just three points out of first, depending on the result of the Whittier match Wednesday night.
Marcus Brandford (Seattle) had Oxy's only shot on goal.
Brandford and Michael Tonetti (Las Vegas) each had two shots, and Richardson, Ben Murray (Sandpoint, Idaho), Reid Sakamoto (Honolulu) and Garrett Schwab (Storrs, Conn.) each had one for the Tigers..
Oxy freshman Tristan Cooper (Fremont, N.H.) made one save in his third consecutive start in goal for the Tigers.
The Tigers play at La Verne (3-5-1, 1-4 SCIAC) on Saturday at 7 p.m.
