KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Coming off an impressive non-conference run, the University of La Verne women's soccer team earned a No. 10 ranking in the latest National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)/Continental Tire NCAA Division III Women's Rankings released on Tuesday.

The Leopards lost to Pacific (Ore.) on two late goals to open the season, but bounced back with three solid games. On Aug. 31, the Leopards beat Benedictine (Ill.), 2-0, and hung tough against Division II No. 19 CSU San Bernardino in a 2-0 loss on Sept. 11. This past Saturday, the Leopards defeated UC Santa Cruz, 1-0. UC Santa Cruz had earned a commanding 3-1 win over Chapman, who is ranked No. 20 nationally, earlier in the season.

"It's well deserved," head coach Lauryn Pehanich said. "The girls put in a lot of hard work over the summer and it really showed in the preseason.

"This pushes us into conference schedule with even more excitement."

La Verne opens SCIAC play tomorrow at 4 p.m. when they take a short trip to Claremont to face Pomona-Pitzer.

"It's exciting to get a little bit of recognition but we're not satisfied," Pehanich added. ""Just breaking into the rankings doesn't mean that we're done."