LOS ANGELES, CA - The University of La Verne men's soccer team's 2025 campaign came to an end on Thursday night with a 4-1 loss to the No. 1 seed Occidental Tigers in the SCIAC Semifinals.

The Leopards concluded the season with an 8-6-5 overall record and a 5-4-3 mark in conference play. In his first year leading the program, Head Coach Drew Rea guided La Verne to its most wins since 2019, along with the program's first winning season and SCIAC Semifinal appearance since 2016.

Freshman Israel Jimenez Ramirez opened scoring in the 23rd minute, firing a right-footed shot through the left side of the net to give the Leopards a 1-0 lead. However, the Tigers quickly responded just four minutes later when Occidental's Eddie Saladie found the back of the net to even the score. Elijah Edelman put the Tigers ahead with under a minute remaining in the half. 

The Leopards were trailing 2-1 when the second period began and were looking to claw their way back into the game, but Occidental was aggressive, extending their lead in the 68th and 74th minute and putting an end to La Verne's season. 

Senior goalkeeper, three-time SCIAC Defensive Athlete of the Week and All-SCIAC First Team member Hector Duenas-Pena added five saves to his total in the game, finishing with a total of 87 and concluding his senior season and career atop the SCIAC leaderboard in saves. 

Senior Joshua McCowan also earned First Team honors, while juniors Kevin Arreola, Diego Soto and Alexander Bastidas were named to the Second Team.

Shots: La Verne 13, Occidental 28

Saves: La Verne 6, Occidental 4

Corner Kicks: La Verne 4, Occidental 5

Fouls: La Verne 9, Occidental 11

"I'm so proud of the guys. They fought all the way through and worked as hard as they could." said Rea, "Our preparation for next year starts tomorrow. There is so much more to come."