P-P women’s soccer defeats Chapman, falls to top-ranked Occidental

The Pomona-Pitzer women’s soccer team (8-2-1, 5-2-1 SCIAC) shot their way toward victory Sept. 29 with a 4-2 win over the Chapman Panthers (5-8, 2-6 SCIAC).

The Sagehens got off to a slow start against the underdog Panthers, yet managed to head to halftime with a 1-0 lead. During the second half, however, the Sagehens picked up momentum and Megan Kuo PO ’20 scored a penalty kick in the 49th minute. This then led to two more goals in the span of five minutes.

With a four goal lead, the Sagehens’ defense seemed to become more relaxed. This allowed the Panthers to score two goals in the span of only one minute. In doing so, they became the only team so far this season to score more than one goal against the P-P soccer team.

Head coach Jennifer Scanlon emphasized the importance of playing strong for all 90 minutes of the game, saying that commitment would be crucial in the Sagehens’ next match against Occidental (6-0-3, 5-0-3 SCIAC).

The visiting Tigers entered the game as the top ranked team in the conference, setting up a clash against the second ranked Sagehens that could foreshadow the conference championship in November.

“Our talent only takes us so far,” Scanlon said. “The execution, the heart and pride, that’s the stuff that will allow our talent to be fully utilized and help us reach our potential.”

However, P-P was unable to maintain their five-game unbeaten streak going against Occidental on Wednesday. Despite having 11 shots on target, the Sagehens lost 1-0 to the Tigers.

For much of the game, the Sagehens appeared to be in control, overwhelmingly outshooting the Tigers on the offensive end. However, they had trouble putting shots away and found themselves facing a 1-0 deficit that they would not be able to overcome after a converted penalty shot in the 71st minute.

This game was the P-P’s second loss of the season, dropping them to 8-2-1 overall and 5-2-1 in SCIAC. Forward Lily Gane PO ’20 described Occidental as organized on defense, dynamic on attack, and committed to playing the entire game with intensity.

“I think we can improve on making sure we’re at our best for the entire 90 minutes because, at times, we can slip up,” Gane said.

With 10 freshmen and only two seniors, the P-P soccer team is young and still improving at showing that commitment for an entire match. Yet, Scanlon stressed that a huge part of their success has come from the new dynamic and team chemistry.

“It became obvious early on that we have more depth in this program than we have ever had, and we’ve had some really good teams here the last few years, so that is saying something,” Scanlon said. “We are just trying to learn and grow and get better every day so we can reach our potential.”

The P-P Sagehens will hope to redeem themselves Saturday, Oct. 6 in a match against Caltech (1-8, 0-8 SCIAC).