Skip to navigation Skip to content Skip to footer
The Official Home of the university of LA VERNE LEOPARDS

Men’s Soccer Opens SCIAC with 2-1 Win at Redlands

#9 Jaime Moreno (Photo by Kay Hurd)
#9 Jaime Moreno (Photo by Kay Hurd)

REDLANDS, Calif. — Nathan Gonzalez found the back of the net for the second time in as many games, Jaime Moreno forced an own goal off a corner, and the University of La Verne men's soccer team kicked off its 2014 SCIAC campaign with a 2-1 win over Redlands on Wednesday night at Farquhar Field.

How it happened: Playing against a perennial SCIAC powerhouse Redlands, La Verne did not dominate the game like it did in its three non-conference wins. However, the Leopards stayed organized defensively, attacked when there was an opening and were efficient in shot selection.

Both teams looked tight to start the game. But about 14 minutes in, Nathan Gonzalez created the game's first real chance when he drew a corner kick after he beat his man on an initial burst just outside the penalty area but could not quite get around the defender in the box.

The sudden burst energy seemed to catch the Bulldogs cold. After the first corner kick by Saul Uribe was cleared, left-footed Jaime Moreno whipped another corner from the right side to the far post that caught a defender off-guard and the ball rolled in for an own goal.

The game then became open. Redlands started to press higher up the field and control the possession. Three minutes after the first goal, Redlands' Ben Thompson got a decent header off on a corner but it went straight to goalkeeper Darrin Bangle.  In the 27th minute, Charles Izydorek found himself in a 1-on-1 situation with Bangle at the top of the box after a nicely played ball over the top, but put too much on his chip shot that sailed high. Redlands ended up launching 11 shots in the first half to La Verne's two.

The second half picked up where the first left off. The Bulldogs were aggressive in attack, kept up the pressure and got off three shots in the first eight minutes.

But the 54-minute mark, La Verne got its chance. The Leopards dispossessed the Bulldogs in the midfield and quickly played ball up the right side to streaking Auden Foxe. Foxe put in a perfect low cross to Gonzalez who poked it in after an initial save by Redlands goalkeeper John Melito.

La Verne appeared to be in the driver's seat, but the Redlands stuck back immediately. Barely a minute after Gonzalez's goal, Matej Kustura beat his defender and beat Greg Veron far post to bring the score within 2-1.

Despite playing in a new system with a lot of new faces, the Leopards did not panic. La Verne doubled down defensively the rest of the game and was able to hold on for the win.

Player of the game: La Verne back line of Ferdinand Estrada, Luis Vargas and Anton Russell was huge all night. Despite a mental lapse that led to a Redlands goal, they were in right positions and were able to clear, block and cut off almost every attempt. Redlands outshot La Verne 19-8 and the defense was the reason the Leopards were able to hang on for the victory.

From head coach Trevor Persson:

On winning the first SCIAC game: "Competing in the SCIAC is exactly what I expected – a very hard fought, intense, well-played game. Redlands is a great team that is relentless in their attack. I'm just really proud of our guys. We prepared ourselves for an exciting match and that's exactly what we got."

On the team's mentality after conceding: "When we went up 2-0 and immediately conceded a goal, I thought our guys did a great job by not panicking and sticking to our game plan."

What it means: The Leopards (4-0-1, 1-0-0 SCIAC) pick up a huge road victory against one of the best teams in the conference and put the rest of the SCIAC on notice.

Up next: La Verne will look to continue the momentum against Chapman on Saturday night at Ortmayer Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled at 7 p.m.

Follow La Verne Athletics on Twitter @ULV_Athletics
Like La Verne Athletics on Facebook
Follow La Verne Athletics on Instagram @ULV_Athletics
Sign up for our newsletter