Ethan Anderson
Assistant Editor
La Verne went head-to-head with the United States Air Force Academy on Saturday morning in game three of the Gary Troyer Tournament at the La Verne Aquatic Center. The Leopards were unable to pull off the upset, losing 18-11.
La Verne entered the match riding high after two wins against UC Merced and Johns Hopkins to start the tournament. The Leopards were hoping to carry that momentum into the David-versus-Goliath matchup in front of about 100 spectators.
“We came in with a lot of momentum, a lot to prove,” graduate center Peter Trinh said.
Air Force is a Division I school that competes in the Mountain West Conference. The Falcons entered the game with a 9-10 record, aiming to reach .500.
“We had a tough opponent ahead of us, but they (the Leopards) showed up with a lot of fight in them, and it showed in the pool,” assistant coach Jesse Johnston said.
The Air Force Falcons opened the scoring in the first quarter, thanks to sophomore attacker Jack Richards.
The Leopards quickly took the lead after sophomore attacker Jordan Baker and graduate attacker Alam Chang-Barnuevo netted two goals.
In the last minute and a half of the first quarter, the Falcons answered with two goals, giving them a 3-2 lead, with one coming from sophomore utility player Tom Leggett, a threat the Leopards were prepared to handle.
“We knew that 11 (Leggett) is their go-to guy,” head coach Pat Beemer said. “We tried to adjust our defense to match him. At times we did that, at times we didn’t.”
The Falcons extended their lead in the second quarter, and the Leopards headed into halftime with a manageable 8-4 deficit.
“They’re a D1 team; we may not be as great as them, but we don’t want to lose easily,” Trinh said.
The third quarter saw intense action, with six penalties and nine goals from both sides, ending with the Falcons leading, 13-8.
“We showed how much our offense can do when we don’t look at the logo on the cap,” senior goalie Eric Bates said. “We looked at them (Air Force) as equals and were able to put away some goals.”
Trinh opened the fourth quarter with a goal, cutting the score to 13-9. The Falcons responded with two goals from Leggett and senior utility Kaito Ham.
Sophomore attacker Nicolo Buono and Chang-Barnuevo followed with goals, bringing the score to 15-11.
“Our offense was pretty good,” Bates said. “We were able to convert a lot of our six-on-fives toward the end of the game.”
However, the Leopards couldn’t find the back of the net in the last four minutes of the game. The Falcons closed with three unanswered goals, including one from junior utility Jacob Yi and two more from Leggett.
“It was a hard, gritty loss,” Trinh said.
Chang-Barnuevo was the centerpiece for La Verne on Saturday, posting four goals, two drawn exclusions, a steal, and an assist.
Trinh and Buono each scored two goals. Senior center David Gutierrez and freshman center Esteban Rivera added one goal apiece.
Remarkably, only two of 25 players on the Falcons’ roster are under 6 ft.
“They’re D1 dudes, so they look like D1 dudes”, head coach Pat Beemer said. “You don’t really notice it in the water, but you do after the game when they’re shaking hands.”
The Leopards went on to beat Connecticut College, 17-12, ending the Gary Troyer Tournament 3-1.
The team is now 6-13 after a win against conference foe Caltech on Wednesday evening.
Ethan Anderson can be reached at ethan.anderson@laverne.edu.
Ethan Anderson is a senior communications major with a concentration in public relations. He is the LV Life editor and a staff photographer for the Campus Times, and a staff writer and photographer for La Verne Magazine. He has previously been a staff writer for the Campus Times. As a lifelong student-athlete, he has picked up valuable skills that he seeks to apply in his career in public relations, and ultimately make an impact.
Jonas Holt is a senior journalism major with a concentration in print and online journalism. He is sports editor of the Campus Times, a staff writer for La Verne Magazine and staff photographer for both publications. He has previously been a staff writer for the Campus Times.
