PASADENA — Nathan Gonzalez put the Leopards out in front, then Ferdinand Estrada scored the go-ahead goal from distance and the University of La Verne men's soccer team beat Caltech, 2-1, on Saturday afternoon at North Field.
How it happened: Not two minutes after Caltech's Marec Serlin netted the equalizer on a penalty in the 72nd minute, Estrada bombed forward from his position on the right side of the back line and fired one past Caltech goalkeeper John David Feist from about 25 yards out for the game-winning goal.
It was Estrada's first goal as a Leopard.
The Leopards controlled the possession and the pace of the match, but could not break through until the second half.
In the 53rd minute, Gonzalez received a ball from Anton Russell inside the penalty box and ripped a shot that deflected off a defender and into the net to give La Verne a 1-0 lead.
Gonzalez coming up clutch: Four of Gonzalez's five goals this season have tied, gave the lead to or won the match for La Verne. And the other goal cut La Verne's deficit to 3-2 against Occidental on Sept. 22 before he tied it with his second.
Gonzalez currently leads all Leopards in points scored. The sophomore was La Verne's leading point scorer last season as well.
Estrada rewarded: Estrada has been one of La Verne's best players locking down the right side of defense and his first goal as a Leopard was a memorable one.
What it means: La Verne halts its four-game losing streak and improves to 5-4-1 overall and 2-4 in SCIAC play.
Up next: La Verne travels to Thousand Oaks to face Cal Lutheran (3-4-2, 2-3-1 SCIAC) on Monday at 7 p.m.
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