Coming down to the wire, the men’s soccer Sixth Street Rivalry sequel ended in stunning fashion Oct. 20 after Rafael Otero CM ’25 scored the golden goal in overtime to give Claremont-Mudd-Scripps a 1-0 win over Pomona-Pitzer.
Three minutes into overtime, Otero made a run past the defense and headed a chip pass from Lukas Huntington CM ’25 into the right side of the net. Coming off a draw in their previous matchup, this game solidified CMS as the winner of this year’s rivalry.
“I’ve never experienced ending a game with one shot and it was just so awesome to celebrate with all of my fans,” Otero said. “Everyone was so amped, and it was just a really great feeling to have all of our school celebrating.”
The Stags outplayed the Sagehens throughout most of the game. CMS recorded 12 shots and six on goal while P-P recorded only five shots and one on goal.
CMS also generated higher quality shots. One came with 11 minutes remaining in the first half when midfielder Jake Allmon CM ’23 struck a line drive that banged off the left post.
Meanwhile, P-P did not give CMS goalkeeper Eduardo De Anda HM ’22 much action. He recorded one save.
The atmosphere at Pritzlaff Field was prime for the rivalry. Fans sat divided in the bleachers based on team allegiance, and P-P fans were more vocal than their CMS counterparts and spent more time standing. It took until near the 80th minute for the Stags’ fans to stand.
With high emotional tensions rising throughout the game, CMS head coach Ryan Fahey CM ‘10 emphasized being calm.
“I just tried to be as composed as possible because that’s what I was asking my team to do,” Fahey said. “This game sometimes brings some added emotion, so I was trying to combat that a little bit.”
The players also reflected similar sentiments. Zero yellow cards were handed out and athletes lent hands to fallen opponents after fouls. This type of sportsmanship came in contrast to the last rivalry game, which featured seven yellow cards and exchanges of vulgarities.
Fahey was glad to see a more civil game this time around.
“All five schools are really good institutions and have really quality people as their student-athletes, so it was great to see that come out today in the way people played and the way people acted,” he said.
Some Sagehens were less optimistic about the game’s outcome.
“This game always feels more important because it’s the rivalry game, but regardless, it just sucks to lose and it sucks to lose in overtime,” captain Matthew Carlson PZ ’23 said. “It sucks a little bit more because it’s here.”
P-P head coach Bill Swartz was emotional during the post-game interview.
“I’m actually proud of how they played and how they conducted themselves,” he said. “You hurt for them because they put in the work day in and day out.”
Looking ahead, P-P will hit the road Saturday to play La Verne in an important conference game. The Hens, currently tied for fifth in the SCIAC standings, must improve to fourth place if they want to make the postseason.
The Stags will next face Chapman at home on Saturday, looking to continue their dominance this year. CMS has already clinched the top seed in the SCIAC with a conference record of 9-0-2 and 12-1-3 overall.