Fans roared from the hills behind the goal as the Pomona-Pitzer (P-P) men’s soccer team took down the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (CMS) Stags in the first episode of the Sixth Street Rivalry, keeping their season’s hot start alive.
In the first matchup between the two teams on Wednesday, Sept. 24, at the Pomona-Pitzer Soccer Stadium, the Sagehens defeated the Stags in a nail-biting 2-1 victory, thanks to a late goal from Sebastian Lee Jara PO ’29. Tension ran high throughout the 90 minutes, keeping fans on their toes.
The first 30 minutes of the half resulted in a stalemate as the teams exchanged possession back and forth in midfield. However, a cross from Alex Greenstein PZ ’26 set up Colin Eugster PO ’26 to break the deadlock and give the Sagehens the initial lead around the 33rd minute.
It didn’t take long for the Stags to answer back. Just three minutes into the second half, Sean Lee CM ’29 found the back of the net to even the score and shift the momentum back to CMS.
For P-P goalkeeper Jasper Broad PZ ’26, the goal was not a setback but rather a test of the Sagehens’ ability to stay in the game.
“[Being] tied 1-1, that was really hard when they had momentum, so sticking to our game plan and not giving up was really crucial,” Broad said. “We came together and realized that we were playing better than them and mobilized off of that.”
That message of resilience was central to the team as they looked for a breakthrough. For the next 30 minutes following the CMS equalizer, the teams were at a gridlock as neither could find the net. But the Sagehens weren’t done yet.
With just 10 minutes remaining in the game, defender Chris Chow PO ’26 drove down the field and found Lee Jara cutting into the box. In dramatic fashion, Lee Jara chipped it up over the goalie and provided the critical go-ahead.
Lee Jara’s goal in the 79th minute capped off a neck-and-neck game. After a heated 90 minutes of rivalry play, there were five yellow cards and 18 fouls across both teams.
Midfielder Guy Fuchs PO ’27 emphasized the need to stay composed when chasing the comeback amid intense physicality.
“I think one of the main keys to the game was staying together,” Fuchs said. “Even though it was a dirty game, we managed to stay together and fight through until the very end. We try to focus on encouragement, support and not getting down.”
For Broad, playing for the team is essential to staying calm in games as high-stakes as Sixth Street.
“I think we came together by just trusting our own abilities,” Broad said. “In these huge games, it’s really easy to let your emotions get the best of you, but I think we were able to keep a level head, which they were not.”
The Sixth Street victory marked the Hens’ eighth game undefeated, an unprecedented feat for the team in the last few seasons.
“We are really, really happy with where we are at, and are hoping to keep it going,” Fuchs said.
The same cannot be said for the start to the Stags’ season, as the Sixth Street defeat dropped their record to 2-5-3. The United Soccer Coaches preseason poll ranked CMS soccer No. 17 in the nation. Despite high expectations, the projected conference champions have started SCIAC play with a record of 1-2-1.
“It’s been a little bit of a rough start to the season,” midfielder Bo Gardner CM ’28 said. “I think we just had mental lapses and weren’t really sticking to our principles.”
According to Gardner, the Stags are holding onto hope that they can return to their anticipated peak in the coming games.
“We’ve learned a lot of lessons because we’ve had a lot of tough games so far this year,” Gardner said. “I think it’s mainly about [continuing to work] together as a group and not dwelling on the loss.”
After the rivalry matchup on Sept. 24, both teams had SCIAC games on Saturday, Sept. 27.
The Hens fell to the Caltech Beavers in a 0-1 loss, unable to repeat their Sixth Street comeback. They gave up a goal in the 84th minute, placing them in second in SCIAC behind the Chapman Panthers.
The Stags bounced back to defeat the Redlands Bulldogs 2-0 for their first conference victory of the season on Sept. 27. The following Wednesday, Oct. 1, the Stags held Chapman to a 1-1 draw.
Both teams continue their chase for the SCIAC title on Saturday, Oct. 4, as the Sagehens play at the Poets at Whittier College and the Stags host the La Verne Leopards for their senior night.
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