Story by Cyanna Rosa
The University of La Verne men’s water polo team traveled to the UCSD Triton Invitational this weekend. Today the Leopards played both UC San Diego and Whittier College.
Versus UC SAN DIEGO- The Leopards first faced UCSD, starting off the season with a defense-heavy game, but notable offensive moments. Leopard Center, James Cano, found the net three times during the game, the greatest amount of goals from any Leo against the Tritons. Leopard player, Cody Lehotsky, took advantage of an extraman, scoring after Cano and the Leo’s second score of the game. Three minutes following, Alam Chang went one-on-one with the Triton goalie, scoring on a penalty shot in the 2nd period. The team finished with a score of 8-22, falling short against UCSD.
Versus WHITTIER- For the first time in 12 years, the La Verne Leopards outscored the Whittier Poets and took the win, 13-12. In their second game of the season, Alam Chang dominated the offensive floor with 6 goals against the Poets. Chang scored half of his goals in the second period, and was the sole scorer for the Leopards in the second period. Leopard players, Cano and Gage UnSoeld, secured the win in the fourth period. With just 1:12 left on the clock, UnSoeld broke the 12-12 tiebreaker, winning the game for the Leopards for the first time against Whittier College since their 7-6 win on October 27, 2010.
The Leopards compete in their final games of the UCSD Triton Invitational on Sunday, September 4th.
UPCOMING: Be sure to mark your calendar for this coming weekend, when La Verne co-hosts the Inland Empire Classic on September 10th and 11th at their home pool of Los Flores Park in La Verne, Calif.