LA VERNE, Calif. — Justin Almandinger tucked in a penalty in the early in the second half and the goal stood up as the University of La Verne men's soccer team beat Whittier on Saturday at Ortmayer Stadium

How it happened: Nick Gonsalves started the second half up top for the Leopards and the decision paid dividends immediately. The junior speedster split Whittier center halves with his track speed, got past them and then was tripped up in the box as the defenders couldn't catch up.

A penalty was called and after a short conference among players, Almandinger stepped up to take the shot. The sophomore then calmly drove a shot to the right past the diving goalkeeper to put the Leopards on the board.

Gonsalves had a couple of more golden opportunities as he utilized is explosive speed to get to through balls. He got a one-on-one opportunity immediately after the reset but Whittier's Jorge Rivas pulled forward to close the angle and make the save. Gonsalves got another good look in the 52^nd minute, but pulled it wide.

The only dangerous moment from Whittier came in the 85^th minute. Denzel Hartshorn launched a shot from the left side and beat La Verne goalkeeper Greg Veron, but missed high by inches.

Players of the game: Gonsalves took the top off Whittier's defense to open the second half and was able to draw the crucial penalty. He easily could have had a couple of goals had he converted some of his chances.

Almandinger was solid all game shielding the back four and connecting plays from the back to the forwards. He was rewarded with a penalty opportunity and took it decisiveness.

Whittier shorthanded: The Poets' rally bid took a huge hit in the 73^rd minute when Lucas Depinna received his second yellow card of the game and was ejected. Combined with the scorching heat, playing shorthanded a too deep a whole to climb out of for Whittier.

From head coach Trevor Persson:

On decision to start Gonsalves in second half: "We knew from the first half that he was potentially getting in, but we weren't executing the pass to him. So we put Nick in there with our starting lineup and see if those guys were able to connect those passes, which they did in the first minute of the second half."

On Almandinger: "We used to have two holding midfielders to start the season but we just have one (Almandinger) there now. It's giving him a little bit more freedom to be what we call 'the sprinkler' and spray balls right, left and down the middle. He's been doing a good job spreading the ball.

What it means: La Verne (7-4-1, 4-4-0 SCIAC) completes the first half of its SCIAC season and scoreboard watching begins. The Leopards sit in fifth place with Chapman and Redlands at 4-3. The Bulldogs and the Panthers are in action later tonight.

Up next: The most important two-game stretch of the season looms for the Leopards. La Verne hosts second-place Claremont-Mudd-Scripps on Oct. 8 at 7 p.m and will travel to first-place Pomona-Pitzer on Oct. 11.