LA VERNE, CA — The University of La Verne women's water polo team played their 2024 home opener, falling to the NCAA Division II Fresno Pacific Sunbirds 13-10 in a non-conference Saturday morning.

The Leopards fell into a 7-3 deficit at halftime but battled back in the second half, outscoring the Sunbirds 7-6. First-year Reiley Burton led the Leopards with four goals in the game, three in the second half alone, and added to steals and an assist.

"Pretty shaky beginning but we ended up settling into the game okay. We're really dinged up so depth was an issue for us.This is a big eye opener to see what we're good at and what we need to fix, and the good news is that the fixes are simple and the execution will only get better," said La Verne water polo head coach Pat Beemer.

Katrina Hitchcock and Kelly Jackson split time defending the net. Jackson totaled six saves to give the Leopards the chance at a second-half comeback. Hitchcock ended the game holding the Sunbirds to just one goal in the fourth quarter and finished with four saves.

The Leopards outscored the Sunbirds 3-1 in the fourth quarter.

Brooklyn Young finished with two goals, two assists, and six drawn exclusions. Maddie Grove added two goals and an assist. Sumi Rudisky scored once.

The Leopards had over a month layoff from their season opener doubleheader on January 20.

La Verne will travel to Chapman University to play their first matchup in the annual Claremont Convergence Tournament against UC San Diego on Friday, March 1 at 10:15 a.m. They'll head to Whittier College later that day for a 2 p.m. game against Azusa Pacific.

The Leopards will open day two of the tournament on Saturday on the Pomona College Campus at 8 a.m. against Pacific, and conclude at 2:15 p.m. against Penn State Behrend on the Claremont McKenna campus.