Story by Billy Lopez, Sports Information Graduate Student

LA VERNE, CA — The La Verne men's water polo team defeated Redlands 14-12, thanks to late-game heroics from senior Cristian Gonzalez and stellar second half defense on Senior Day. 

First Half

On Senior Day it was the freshman Peter Trinh denting the back of the cage early on for the Leopards scoring two goals in the first quarter. The Leopards got contributions from Gage Unsoeld and Alam Barnuevo, each scoring a goal in the first. Despite the strong start offensively, La Verne would trail Redlands 5-4 after the first. 

In the second quarter, the Bulldogs were able to extend their lead by another goal courtesy of Spencer Clinton who compiled four first-half goals. At the half, the Leopards trailed the Bulldogs 9-7. 

Second Half

Trinh continued his trend of scoring two goals per quarter. Trinh also found teammate and senior Guillermo Ocasio who finally found the back of the cage to tie the match at 11-11 to end the third quarter. 

Gonzalez scored the first goal in the fourth quarter, giving La Verne a 12-11 lead with 6:49 left. Barnuevo added another goal to make it 13-11. The Bulldogs leading goal scorer of the match Clinton added his fifth goal of the match to bring his team within one at 13-12. The Leopards' senior day magic would once again find Gonzalez as he fired home the dagger for his second goal in the fourth quarter to seal the win for La Verne at 14-12. 

Leopards Second Half Defense

The La Verne Leopards defense was strong in the second half, holding Redlands to only three goals after they notched nine goals in the first half. The Leopards also kept the Bulldogs leading goal scorer to only one goal in the second half after Clinton scored four in the first half. 

Season Impact

Redlands dropped to 5-20 on the season and 2-9 in SCIAC. La Verne improved to 4-13 on the season and 2-7 in SCIAC. Leopards will be back in action Wednesday night at home against the Whittier Poets at 4:00 P.M. 

Senior Day 

The Leopards honored seniors Cristian Gonzalez, Ryan Lehotsky, Danilo Lugli, Guillermo Ocasio, Jason Soo Hoo, and Michael Staine in a brief pregame ceremony.