Men's Soccer falls in SCIAC opener

Men's Soccer falls in SCIAC opener

CLAREMONT, Calif. — The University of La Verne men's soccer team stayed even with Claremont-Mudd-Scripps through the first 45 minutes, but the Stags found away to score in the opening minutes of the second half to beat the Leopards 1-0 Wednesday night at Pritzlaff Field

Season Impact: The Leopards suffer their first loss of the year, moving to 2-1 overall and 0-1 in SCIAC play. Claremont-Mudd-Scripps moves to 1-2 overall and 1-0 in the conference. 

Josh Ramirez was a force in front of the net for the Leopards and was kept busy all night, fending off 20 shots from the Stags throughout the match. The junior snagged eight saves in the game, with seven coming in the first half.

The only goal of the game proved to be the difference maker. Just seconds into the second half Matthew Swift sent a shot into the net to give the Stags a 1-0 lead they would hold onto the rest of the night. 

The Leopards were more aggressive in the second half, rattling off five shots in the period. Auden FoxeNathan MontzLuis Hernandez each had a shot on goal, but couldn't find a way past the Stags' keeper. 

Next Game: The Leopards return home this Saturday to play their SCIAC home opener against the Whittier Poets at 7:30 p.m. The Leopards won both their match-ups against the Poets last season, beating them at home 3-0, and winning on the road 1-0 in overtime. Prior to the men's game, the La Verne women's soccer team will host UC Santa Cruz at 5 p.m.