LA VERNE – The University of La Verne women's water polo team came up just short for the second SCIAC game in a row, falling 10-7 against Chapman on Wednesday night at the La Verne Aquatic Center.

Heading into the fourth quarter tied at 7-7, Chapman played shutout defense in the final frame and scored three unanswered goals to come away with the victory. Emily Holmquist netted two and Kate Avery had one goal for the Panthers in the quarter.

The teams traded goals for most of the game.

Sarah Jefferis notched a hat trick in the first quarter, single-handedly giving the Leopards a 3-2 lead after the first.

All-American swimmer Madeline Lovrensky made her season debut in the water polo pool and scored two for the Leopards. The first goal gave La Verne a 5-4 lead as the first half drew to a close and her second tied the game at 7-7 near the end of the third quarter.

Jefferis finished with four goals and Catie Tuning had one.

Avery also had a game-high tying four scores for Chapman and Holmquist added three.

Jacqueline Rojas made nine saves in the cage for La Verne. Kristen Spicer and Jordan Gilmore split netminder duties for Chapman, combining for eight saves.

The Leopards return to action on Saturday when they host a pair of games against Caltech at 11 a.m. and Concordia (Calif.) at 2 p.m.