Surprise Playoff Berth Gives Cal Lutheran Another Shot : College soccer: Kingsmen to open Division III tournament against SCIAC rival Claremont.

The Cal Lutheran men’s soccer team assumed it had faced an ultimatum last Saturday: Beat Claremont-Mudd in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship game and earn a playoff berth; lose, and stay home.

The Kingsmen lost, 1-0.

The players and Coach George Kuntz figured their season was over. Claremont, winner of the SCIAC title, was a lock to receive an NCAA Division III playoff berth.

Still, Kuntz knew Cal Lutheran had a “ very outside chance” of gaining a playoff berth along with Claremont. Cal Lutheran finished the regular season with a 14-4-2 record, 10-1 in conference play. Claremont is 15-2-2, its only conference loss in 11 matches courtesy of Cal Lutheran.

Fortune smiled Sunday when Kuntz learned the Kingsmen had made the playoffs after all.

“I just shot through the roof,” he said. “I was surprised because I was told that it was difficult for two teams from our league to get in.”

Fittingly, the Kingsmen will play the Stags in a rematch, at Claremont on Saturday at 1 p.m. in a North Central/Far West regional. The match marks the teams’ third meeting of the season. Cal Lutheran won, 1-0, on Oct. 17.

This time, the match is a must-win situation.

“It’s like a three-game series with the winner going on after Saturday,” Kuntz said. “You couldn’t have asked for a better storybook ending.”

The Cal Lutheran women’s team, ranked third in the nation, will begin playoff competition Saturday at UC San Diego against Trinity (Texas) University. The first-round game will start at 11 a.m.

In the NAIA District 3 postseason tournament, The Master’s College will travel to Southern California College for a first-round match tonight at 7.