By Kay Hurd
La Verne Athletic Communications
La Verne, Calif. – The University of La Verne saw goals from a variety of players, but were ultimately shut out on Day 2 of the Inland Empire Classic.
Game 1 Pomona-Pitzer 16, La Verne 7
Rex Sample and Rey Castillo notched two goals a piece for the Leopards, but the Sagehens rode a third quarter surge to run away with the game 16-7.
The first quarter promised a battle between the two giants. Pomona-Pitzer fired first, but Castillo answered right back with a bullet to the top right corner of the cage on the ensuing possession. Castillo would find the back of the net again to keep the Leopards within one and Sample connected from the top to tie it back up at 3-3. A penalty shot gave the Sagehens a two-goal cushion, but Guillermo Ocasio slammed one in from the right side to close out the quarter 5-4.
The Sagehens strung together a 3-1 run, and completely shut out the Leopards while scoring four goals of their own, to finish the third quarter ahead 12-5.
Jared Hopley ricocheted a ball off the post and goalie Daniel Diemer's head to pick up his only goal and Joshua Vega skipped one past Diemer from the top with the shot clock expiring.
Game 2 No. 3 USC 26, La Verne 1
USC, who is currently ranked at No. 3, buried the Leopards in a 26-1 loss. The Trojans opened the game scoring four in the first two minutes and took off from there.
Castillo connected for La Verne's first goal two minutes into the 2nd quarter. Vega came the closest at the 1:24 mark after Ocasio picked up a double-team and dished it to a wide open Vega, but Trojan goalie Will Rubschlager deflected it out of bounds.
Ian Hernandez picked up eight saves against the Division I powerhouse.