Leopards write off Whittier Poets
Campus Times
November 6, 1998
Junior driver Ryan Penrod (#13) protects the ball from a Whittier
defender. This was the first of two games that the Leopards played at home.
La Verne won 8-7. The Leopards dropped the second game to Loyola Marymount,
10-9, in quadruple overtime. La Verne is now 12-8 overall and 3-1 in SCIAC.
The University of La Verne water polo team moved to the front of the
pack in the SCIAC standings after junior Kenny Clements scored the deciding
goal with 1:14 left in the fourth quarter to defeat the visiting Whittier
Poets, 8-7, last Saturday.
Clements took a pass from ULV junior goalie Mike Miles and swam to the
front of the Poets' goal. From there, Clements fired a shot, which found
its way into the upper right corner of the goal.
Whittier tried to pressure Miles in the closing seconds, but the Leopards
defense held, sending La Verne to a 3-1 SCIAC mark.
The first-year ULV team is in a tie for the conference lead with Claremont-Mudd-Scripps
and is 12-8 overall.
The Leopards and Poets were tied seven times throughout the match, as
neither team led by more than a single goal.
With the score tied at two after the first quarter, Whittier took a
3-2 advantage 20 seconds into the second quarter. Three minutes later, Leopards
junior Shannon Kay was awarded a free shot after a Whittier player was called
for holding in front of the Poets' goal. Kay converted the shot into a Leopards'
score for a 3-3 tie.
Less than a minute later, the Leopards showed off their passing abilities,
as junior Ryan Penrod passed to Clements, who then found junior Caleb Diaz
for a score. The Whittier defense was unable to react to the quick ball
movement, and the Leopards took a 4-3 lead.
The Poets tied the score two minutes later, but just before the half,
Clements gave ULV a 5-4 lead with the assist going to Miles on a length-of-the-pool
pass.
After Whittier tied the score at five with 2:45 left in the third, Clements
was involved in the Leopards' go-ahead goal. Clements muscled the ball from
a Whittier player and started a press up the pool. He passed to junior Jace
Crispin, who scored with just under a minute remaining in the third.
With the Leopards leading 6-5 in the fourth quarter, Whittier scored
two goals in the span of two minutes.
But La Verne responded with Clements leading the way, as he again picked
up an assist, setting up Kay's goal to tie it at seven.
ULV played again that day and lost in quadruple overtime to Loyola Marymount,
10-9.
La Verne plays tomorrow against Occidental at 11 a.m.
