Claremont, Calif. – Senior Katie Tao capitalized on a penalty kick, midway through the second half, and the Pomona-Pitzer women's soccer team beat the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Athenas 3-2 in an exciting match Wednesday night.

With the win in their first leg of the Sixth Street Rivalry the Sagehens improve to 3-1 overall and 1-0 in SCIAC play.

CMS drops to 2-4 overall and 0-1 in the SCIAC.

In the 55th minute the Athenas were called for a hand ball with the game, tied 2-2. Tao stepped up and drilled her shot past the keeper for her second goal of the year, giving Pomona-Pitzer the lead for good.

In the 13th minute, senior Alyssa Kim set up for a corner kick and sent the ball into the box. The ball deflected off a defender, junior Sofia Barsher gathered it and hammered it through the right side of the net for the early lead.

Later in the half after the Athenas tied the game with a goal by Sarah Tocher, sophomore Peri Cuppens drilled a shot from just outside the box to give Pomona-Pitzer the lead into the break.

Katelyn Faust gave the Athenas hope early in the second half, connecting on a shot to pull the game at two all. But Tao came through four minutes later, and it was all the scoring the Sagehens needed.

Next Game: The Sagehens host undefeated Occidental College (4-0) this Saturday at 4 p.m.