Occidental 3, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 2

LOS ANGELES — The Occidental women's soccer team is proving there is no team in the SCIAC they can not beat.

Julie Khil scored a heroic game-winning header with 13 seconds left on a perfect pass from Katie McDonald and the Tigers bounced back twice to beat first-place Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 3-2 at Jack Kemp Stadium on Wednesday. 

It is the second Top 3 SCIAC team the Tigers (8-4-1, 6-4-1 SCIAC) have beaten in four days — Oxy won at third-place Pomona-Pitzer 2-1 on Oct. 18. 

Just moments after letting a 2-1 lead slip away when CMS' Darrah Shields fired a rocket equalizer into the goal in 88th minute, McDonald played a beautiful over-the-top ball behind the CMS back line and Khil ran onto it, scoring a chip-shot header over CMS (11-5-1, 8-3 SCIAC) goalkeeper Kelly McConnell.

Seconds later, the final whistle sounded and the Tigers secured their most impressive win of the season.

It was Khil's SCIAC-best seventh goal of the season and an important conference victory that inches Oxy closer to the postseason. Oxy jumps into a third-place tie with Pomona-Pitzer with three games to play.

It looked like the celebration would happen a lot easier when Kylie Takafuji scored to give Oxy a 2-1 lead in the 67th minute. Michaela Tsuha crossed the ball in from the right and Khil touched it on to Takafuji for the go-ahead goal. But Shields made it look as if Oxy was headed for its fifth overtime game of the season until the play of the season made sure it was decided in 90 minutes.

The Tigers had to battle back from an early 1-0 deficit. CMS' Isabel Lester scored the opening goal of the match in the 10th minute, catching Oxy goalkeeper Dallas Gunny off of her line during a defensive breakdown for an easy pass to the back of the net.

The Tigers recovered nicely near the end of the half though. Camille Shrager scored Oxy's first goal, getting just enough body on Erin Iacullo's cross to even the score at 1-1 in the 44th minute.

Next Game: The Tigers play their final regular season home game of the year against La Verne on Saturday at Lower Field (Oxy's Grass Field) at 11 a.m. Oxy's five seniors (Taryn Ng, Abigail Mitchell, Stephanie Welty, Karina Garcia and McDonald) will be honored with a brief pregame ceremony.