Thousand Oaks, CA- The University of La Verne football team traveled to Thousand Oaks, California to take on the Kingsmen in a SCIAC matchup.
Both teams were seeking their second conference win of the season. A battle early, the Kingsmen scored a touched down in the first quarter to get on the board first, taking a 7-0 lead over La Verne. Andre Maldonado scored the Leopards first points of the game on a 2-yard run in the second quarter to tie the game up. Cal Lutheran would score again in the second quarter to take a 14-7 lead into the intermission.
The third quarter saw the Leopards drive the ball 60 yards down the field to score again as Andre Maldonado reached the end zone to tie the game at 14-14. James Henriquez had a 12-yard run in the latter part of the fourth quarter to give La Verne a 21-14 lead over Cal Lutheran with 4:08 left in the contest. Cal Lutheran would score on their next possession, giving them a 22-21 lead and setting up the late-game fireworks. La Verne would drive down the field 66 yards in thirty-four seconds to secure the victory on a 2-yard run by Andre Maldonado. La Verne would defeat the Kingsmen by a final score of 29-22.
Andre Maldonado had 107 yards on 23 carries to go with 3 touchdowns in the game. Hector Facio and Derek Guzman both had 7 tackles in the win. Head coach Chris Krich was very happy about his team's performance on the road. "I am so proud of these players! We never quit. Even when we were down with 50 seconds remaining, every player on our sideline knew we were going to win this game. It was a true team win, as everyone who traveled played a part. I can't say enough about these players and coaches. I'm so happy for them and all the hard work they've put in this year. It's finally coming together and paying off."
The Leopards will have a bye week this coming week.
(Photo By Rob Ruben)