Cal Lutheran Falls in Title Match, 1-0

The Cal Lutheran men’s soccer team fell to host Claremont-Mudd, 1-0, Saturday in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship match, and because of the defeat the team’s prospects of earning an NCAA Division III playoff bid are remote.

“The winner will go to the playoffs,” Cal Lutheran Coach George Kuntz said. “There’s a very outside chance for the second-place team.”

Stag forward Patrick Gorgue scored the lone goal in the 74th minute.

Cal Lutheran entered the match as champion of the four-team SCIAC West bracket with a conference record of 10-0. Claremont was the SCIAC East bracket champion with a conference mark of 9-1, its only SCIAC loss a 1-0 defeat by the Kingsmen on Oct. 17.

Cal Lutheran fell to 14-4-2, 10-1 in the SCIAC. Claremont is 15-2-2.