Story by Billy Lopez, Sports Information Graduate Assistant

LA VERNE, CA — The University of La Verne Leopards men's soccer team dropped an evening matchup against the visiting Chapman Panthers 4-0. 

How It Happened

The Leopards had two crucial miscues in the first 12 minutes of the match. The first came in the 9th minute when a cross inside the penalty box touched the hand of a Leopard which resulted in Aidan Wall of the Panthers converting on the penalty shot and scoring his SCIAC leading 13th goal to give Chapman a 1-0 lead. The next mistake happened in the 12th minute after a giveaway set up a clear look for Riley Thomas who found the back of the net for the third time this season and the Panthers were off to the races with a 2-0 lead.

The Leopards would respond with a few chances later in the first half but would not be able to find the back of the net. Their best chance came with Angel Loza in the 31st minute who just missed scoring, shooting it just left of the post. La Verne outshot the Panthers 7-6 in the first half but was unable to outscore them as Chapman headed to the half with a 2-0 lead. 

The Panthers came out sharp and crisp in the second half and added two more goals. The first came in the 62nd minute when Garret Lindfelt scored off the feed from Tobi Howe to make it 3-0 Chapman. The Panthers added their fourth goal off a corner by Lindfelt and headed into the back of the net by Tobi Howe making it 4-0 Panthers. 

Season Impact 

Chapman improved to 7-5 on the season and 6-3 in SCIAC. La Verne dropped to 2-10-1 on the year and 1-8 in SCIAC. 

Next Up 

The Leopards' next match will be on Wednesday in a non-conference matchup against UC Santa Cruz at 7 p.m.