The University of La Verne men's water polo team competed in their annual co-hosted Inland Empire Tournament this weekend against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, Cal Baptist, UC Irvine, and Long Beach State. The Leopards went 0-4 on the weekend.
On Saturday, La Verne took on UC Irvine but fell to the Anteaters 3-24. Sophomore attacker Bryan Jimenez posted 2 of the 3 goals for the Leopards against UCI, while La Verne goalkeeper Daniel Newell had 6 saves.
In the Leopards next challenge against Cal Baptist, La Verne chased the Lancers by one goal after the first period. The Leopards tied the game at 8-8 with a goal by Jimenez with only 1 second left in the second period. The two teams battled neck and neck until the Lancers posted 5 consecutive goals. Despite a valiant effort, the final score of the game was 12-20.
On Sunday, the Leopards competed in their first conference game against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps. Both SCIAC teams were evenly matched, but La Verne found itself down by 2 goals after the first two periods. Ejections weakened the Leopards - giving CMS a 6-goal lead after the third period. Unable to surge a comeback, La Verne lost 10-16.
The Leopards faced off against Long Beach State in their final match and lost 1-17.
La Verne's next game is at Cal Baptist against Whittier on Friday at 4:00pm.