LOS ANGELES – The La Verne men's water polo team went 2-2 over the weekend in the Gary Troyer tournament. Friday saw the Leopards fall to Fresno Pacific and defeat Ottawa University. On Saturday, the Leos dropped a nail-biter against Augustana before beating UC Merced to wrap up the weekend.

Game 1, Fresno Pacific 20, La Verne 12

The Leos came out scratching and clawing against the FPU Sunbirds in game one of the tournament. The first two quarters saw both teams exchanging goals, and at the half La Verne was only down 11-9. The third quarter ended up being the deciding point of the game. The Sunbirds came out and rattled off six goals shutting out the Leopards in the period. La Verne tried to fight back in the fourth but the hill was too high to climb, and they dropped the first game by a final of 20-12.

Jordan Baker and Timothy Robles were the stars of the game for the Leos. Baker finished with four goals and three assists to go along with Robles' four goals and two assists. Other key contributors included Josh Lamberton and Jaden Javier who each had a goal and an assist, and William Roby Unkovich who netted two shots.

Game 2, La Verne 16, Ottawa University 11

Game two saw the Leopards come out firing as they rattled off nine unanswered goals in the first 11 minutes of the game. The Spirit were able to stop the bleeding in the first half by scoring three at the end to make it nine to three. The second half saw a very even affair, and ultimately the Leopards were able to hang on for the win by a final of 16-11.

Baker had another strong performance. His second straight game of seven points saw him score three times and assist on four others. Lamberton and Robles also had key performances combining for seven goals and three assists to help secure the victory.

Game 3, Augustana College 14, La Verne 13

Day two started with a back and forth nail-biter between the Vikings and the Leopards. La Verne's offense started slowly as Augustana scored five of the first six to jump out to an early lead. The second and third quarters were more balanced, however La Verne found themselves down six heading into the final period. The Leos were able to flip a switch in the fourth as they outscored the viking six to one, including four straight goals in the final two minutes. Despite the strong finish, the Leos came up just short and lost 14-13.

Once again, the Leopards offensive attack was led by Baker, Lamberton, and Robles. Baker had three goals and three assists, Lamberton found the back of the net four times, and Robles notched an assist and three goals. Richard Montanez, Vaughn Freiermuth, and Zachariah Barclay also chipped in, each scoring once. Goalie Henry De Luna had a strong effort despite the loss, collecting nine saves.

Game 4, La Verne 10, UC Merced 8

The Leopards wrapped up the final game of the tournament winning a defensive battle against the Bobcats. The first and second quarters saw both teams exchanging punches and at the half, La Verne had just a two goal lead. UC Merced came out strong in the third quarter scoring four straight and all of a sudden, the Leos found themselves down two with 11 minutes left. Five goals from Lamberton and Robles helped propel La Verne across the finish line and win 10-8.

The big three of La Verne showed out one more time combining for 10 of the 11 total points. Lamberton led the team with four goals, Robles scored three times, and Baker had two goals and an assist. De Luna had his best game of the season. He set season highs in both saves with 16 and save percentage at .667.

Baker, Lamberton, and Robles were the three standouts during the weekend. Over the four games, the trio combined for 38 goals and 18 assists. 

Next Game

The Leopards will return to Las Flores Pool to continue SCIAC play against the Whittier College Poets on October 8 at 7 p.m.