Cal Lutheran Can Spoil Stag Party

Cal Lutheran squares off with Claremont Mudd today at 2 p.m. in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship soccer match.

Cal Lutheran, (6-13, 6-4 in the SCIAC) won the West division, while Claremont (14-2-1, 9-1) breezed to the East title.

Claremont is ranked eighth nationally in the Division III poll and has won or shared the SCIAC title 13 consecutive years. The Stags also have a chance to host the Western Regional.

If Cal Lutheran can score an upset, Claremont will be eliminated from playoff contention and the regional will be held elsewhere.

Claremont defeated Cal Lutheran, 3-0, in the teams’ only other meeting this season, and Pat Gorgue, the Stags’ leading scorer, returns to the lineup after sitting out a match because he drew a red card.

Brian Collins and Jan Hammervold are the top scoring threats for Cal Lutheran. Collins, a freshman forward, has 11 goals and 11 assists. Hammervold leads Cal Lutheran with 15 goals.

The SCIAC champion does not receive an automatic bid to the NCAA playoffs. If Cal Lutheran wins, the conference will not have a representative this season.