LA VERNE, CA — The University of La Verne men's soccer team hosted SCIAC opponent in the Claremont Mudd-Scripps Stags in a close match. The Leopards scored a late second-half goal but couldn't find the equalizer, falling 3-2.
The Leopards fell into an early 2-0 deficit after Collin Ross scored in the third minute and the Stags netted another goal in the 26th minute.
But La Verne showed resilience and cut the gap to one before halftime. On a corner kick in the 33rd minute,
Finlay Vaughan sent a perfect ball into the box,
Michael Duran sprinted into the crowd, out-leapt the defenders, and headed a shot on a bounce to the back of the net.
The Stags responded early in the second half to extend the lead to two.
With the Leopards in a hole needing a spark, they turned to leading scorer
Adan Villarreal. After making a save, Hector Duenas-Pena took a look downfield and sent a length-of-the-field pass to Villarreal who outran the opposing defender and fired a shot to put the score a 3-2. Villarreal leads the Leopards and is tied for fourth in the SCIAC with six goals this season.
Villarreal got a final shot off late but the Leopards couldn't convert.
Logan Reese finished with six saves and Duenas-Pena tallied five.
The Leopards moved to 3-9 overall and 2-5 in the SCIAC. The Stags improved to 8-2-1 overall and 4-2 in conference play.
Next Game
The Leopards continue conference play on Saturday, October 12, at 11 a.m. at Pomona-Pitzer.
