ORANGE, CA – The University of La Verne men's soccer team earned an important draw against the Chapman University Panthers Saturday afternoon.
Postseason Chase
With the regular season drawing to a close, the Leopards needed at least a tie to stay above Chapman in the SCIAC standings. Currently, La Verne sits at second place just a point ahead of CMS and three points behind the first-place Redlands. The Leopards end Saturday with a conference record of 5-2-3 and an overall record of 7-4-6.
Early on in the match, the Leopards were stunned by two goals in immediate succession from the Panthers. In the span of 42 seconds, the Panthers established a 2-0 lead.
With their backs against the wall, La Verne needed heroics to claw their way back into the contest.
Joel Trejo would answer the call and continue his spectacular season. In the 31st minute, Trejo was trusted with a pivotal free kick following a Chapman yellow card. In signature fashion, Trejo buried the free kick to put the Leopards on the board and offer a glimmer of hope for the La Verne squad.
In the second half, still down a score, the Leopards launched a barrage of shots towards the Chapman goal. By the final whistle, they had attempted fifteen shots in just the second half alone. Finally, in the 56th minute,
Joel Trejo was given another set piece opportunity, this time from the corner. His corner kick connected with the 6'3"
Isaiah Barber, who scored to tie the game at 2-2. Trejo earned his third assist of the season alongside his fifth goal, and Barber earned his second goal of the season.
The rest of the contest went scoreless for both sides, with the Leopards completing the comeback and keeping their hopes of an early round bye very much alive with two games left in the regular season.
The Leopards return home to Ortmayer for their final two games of the season. They'll take on the Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens Wednesday night at 7 p.m. A win against Pomona-Pitzer is crucial for the Leopards, who have marked their calendars for the final game against first-place Redlands on Halloween.
