ORANGE, Calif. – The Chapman University men's soccer team fell 4-1 to visiting Occidental on Wednesday. The Panthers dropped their third consecutive match.
In one of the tightest races ever for the five-team SCIAC Tournament, none of the nine teams have been eliminated from contention and eight teams entered the day within three points of each other. Occidental used the three points from the win to jump to the top of the conference standings while Chapman stays in the middle of the pack.
Occidental scored twice in the first half to take the advantage and then added on two more quick goals in the opening five minutes of the second half. The Panthers earned a penalty kick after a foul in the box in the 71st minute and Dylan Paine converted the opportunity to put Chapman one the board.
Oxy continued to push forward and tried to add on late but Rhys Lindhorst and Otto Richter combined for three saves in the final 20 minutes.
The Panthers head to Whittier on Saturday in a crucial SCIAC matchup in the hunt for a top-5 spot. Chapman has 14 points with just two matches remaining in the regular season.
