SANTA CRUZ, Calif. — Johnny DeRueda scored his sixth goal of the season and the University of La Verne men's soccer team came away with a 1-0 non-conference win against the UC Santa Cruz Banana Slugs Wednesday afternoon.
Season Impact: The Leopards improve to 5-5-1 overall and the Banana Slugs fall to 2-7-1 overall.
After a 0-0 first half, Abdul Badawiya filtered a pass to DeRueda in the 66th minute who drilled a shot for the only goal of the game.
DeRueda leads the Leopards and is tied for first in the conference with six goals and 14 points.
The Leopards defense held on against a relentless UC Santa Cruz attack. The Banana Slugs finished with 15 shots, keeping the La Verne keepers busy during the match.
Rene Gonzalez started in the box and finished with three saves. Tristan Polakowski stepped in in the second half and totaled four saves.
Next Game: The Leopards return to SCIAC play this Saturday when they host the Redlands Bulldogs on Saturday, October 7 at 7 p.m.