Photo by Chris Mora

Story by Sebastián Abdón Ibarra, Sports Information Student Assistant

ORANGE, CA — Riding high on their big week one win against Whittier College the University of La Verne's football team was faced with a much tougher opponent Saturday night at Wilson Field, falling to the No. 18 Chapman Panthers, 59-25

Quarterback Miguel Aguero Jr. shined late for the Leopards, stepping under center in the first half finishing 26-36 for 311 yards and three touchdowns. Tyrone Williams Jr. got the start at quarterback, completing 13-15 passes for 162 yards. He made his best play of the game at the end of the second quarter when he evaded a rusher off the right side and launched a 40-yard pass to wide receiver Ethan Medeiros for a touchdown. 

Medeiros had a strong outing for La Verne, hauling in eight receptions for a team-high 148 yards and a pair of scores. Nathaniel Sagastume led La Verne with 10 receptions for 113 yards. Spencer Pool finished the game with 61 yards receiving on seven catches. Kyle Bandy found the endzone late in the third quarter, hauling in a pass from Aguero Jr. for a 10-yard score. Daushin Wright capped off La Verne's best drive of the game, a 95-yard march down the field in the fourth quarter that culminated with a five-yard touchdown reception by Wright.

KJ Macatiag led La Verne defensively with nine tackles. Mason Montanez and Brandon Pedroza each finished with four tackles.

Turnovers hurt the Leopards in the loss. La Verne fumbled the ball three times in the second quarter which led to three touchdowns for the Panthers. Chapman was led by Spencer Corona's 154 receiving yards and two touchdowns.

The Leopards will have an opportunity to show off what they learned from this matchup later this year when the Panthers head to Ortmayer Stadium for the regular-season finale on October 13. 

La Verne moves to 1-1 on the year and Chapman now stands at 2-0.

La Verne will look to put this game behind them and prepare for their next road game against Pacific Lutheran on September 18 at 12:30 pm.