CLAREMONT, Calif. — The University of La Verne women's water polo team is proving that it's a different team than in the past with every single game.
La Verne handily beat Redlands, 15-6, in the second game of the 2016 Claremont Convergence, hosted by Claremont-Mudd-Scripps and Pomona-Pitzer, for its first win over the Bulldogs in at least 10 years and provided a tough test for No. 12 NCAA Division I UC San Diego in the first game of the day.
Stephanie Rosero scored four goals in each of the games and Guarina Garcia found the back of the net six times.
Garcia and Catie Tuning scored two goals apiece in the first quarter against Redlands to give La Verne a 4-1 lead and the Leopards never looked back. The closest the Redlands got was 7-4 in the closing minutes of the second quarter and the Leopards put the game away in the fourth as they shut out the Bulldogs, 4-0, in the final frame.
In the first game of the day, the Leopards were within range of the Tritons for most of the game but could not overcome a slow start as it lost, 15-10.
The Tritons beat the Leopards, 17-4, in the same tournament last year.
Rosero paced all players with four goals. Garcia and Candice Vorbeck had two each.
The Leopards got on the board first on a Vorbeck goal but was slow to adjust to the speed and strength of the Tritons as it fell behind, 4-1, in the first quarter. But La Verne was only outscored by a goal in each of the second and third quarters and matched UCSD goal-for-goal in the final frame.
The Tritons had the chance to run away in the second as it took a 5-1 lead but Garcia and Rosero scored consective goals to keep the Leopards within range.
The Leopards are back in action tomorrow Concordia (Calif.) and UC Santa Barbara at Axelrod Pool.