LA VERNE, CA — The University of La Verne men's water polo team battled Saturday afternoon in a physical game against Redlands and gave themselves a chance late.
But after Charles Ortega scored on a penalty shot to put the score at 10-9 with 14 seconds left to play, the Leopards couldn't regain possession falling to the Bulldogs.
Myles Storms and Rex Sample each finished the game with hat tricks. Dario Mariani came through for the Leopards with two huge goals.
Joey Sabers finished with three steals. Storms added a pair of assists.
The Leopards looked solid in the opening quarter and had a chance to take a two-goal lead into the second. But La Verne failed to convert a penalty shot and Redlands' Kyle Jackson scored a goal with one second left on the clock to put the score at 2-2.
La Verne bounced back in the second quarter, going on a 3-1 run to take the halftime lead. The Bulldogs responded with a 4-1 run of their own out of the break to take a 7-6 lead heading into the final eight minutes.
Redlands surged in the final frame taking a 10-7 lead with 2:40 remaining in the game after a Spencer Allen goal and the Leopards couldn't recover.
Rex Sample got the Leopards to within two goals with 47 seconds left to play before Ortega's goal put the score at 10-9.
Ian Hernandez finished with 12 saves in the match.
The Leopards played a second game on Saturday, losing on the road to Pomona-Pitzer 20-5. Evan Monterroso, Christian Gonzalez, Danilo Lugli, Joey Sabers, and Myles Storms all scored in the match. Hernadez finished with six saves.
Season Impact
After the day's results, La Verne falls to 8-16 overall and 3-6 in SCIAC play.
Next Game
The Leopards are back in action on Wednesday, October 24 when they travel to Thousand Oaks to face the Kingsmen.
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