Miguel Navarro
Staff Writer
The La Verne Leopards lost a hard-fought 1-0 game to the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Athenas on Saturday at Ortmayer Stadium before a Homecoming crowd of about 170 people.
The Leopards entered the match still chasing their first goal and win of the season despite many close opportunities throughout the season.
“The word extra motivation, you know, I don’t think that’s the right word for it,” head coach Lauryn Pehanich said. “I think the women are motivated to step into every game, no matter what the current surroundings are behind it.”
As play began, the Athenas quickly took control of the game by controlling the time of possession from the Leopards.
Their attack consisted of an aerial approach from their passes as they looked to move down the field quickly to create chances.
This effort had seen success as they had scored eight goals in the last two games; however, the Leopards cut down the chances early.
“They’re a very technical team, so our game plan was a little different than normal,” Pehanich said. “We sat a lot deeper than we normally do …We made them play over us as opposed to through us.”
In the 17th minute, the Leopards were able to shift the momentum when junior midfielder Alyssa Houlihan’s shot was saved by CMS.
Despite limited opportunities, the Leopards cut out any chances by the Athenas. They held them scoreless despite multiple corner kick chances.
The anchor of the Leopards’ defense was junior defender and captain Maren Handel getting multiple clear outs.
“When I see that I’m the last man, I know I have to give it my all to win the ball,” Handel said. “I enjoy those one-versus-one high-pressure plays.”
The two sides entered halftime scoreless. The second half began with the Athenas taking control of the energy of the game.
They were able to get two shots off in just the first 10 minutes of the half, but the Leopards remained strong.
The Leopards’ attack in the second half was limited, but it was freshman midfielder Layla Lopez who created multiple chances through her passing.
“Connecting the team off the field is really important in order to get those connections on the field,” Lopez said.
Later in the half, the Leopards relied on junior goalkeeper Natalia Portillo to keep the game tied. She finished the match with five big saves and multiple diving stops.
“My mindset is I’m going to back my team up just as much as they are,” Portillo said. “I want to perform as well as I can.”
The pressure from the Athenas proved too much as in the 79th minute, they were able to score a late goal to pull away.
The Leopards were unable to make a comeback and fell short. However, for the Leopards, the ability to be competitive with a top team in the conference is a positive takeaway.
”Their coach told us after the game that we were one of the hardest teams to compete with at this point,” Pehanich said. “That’s really encouraging to hear.”
Their record now sits at 0–7-4 overall. The Leopards’ next game will be at 7 p.m. Saturday against the Caltech Beavers at Ortmayer Stadium.
Miguel Navarro can be reached at miguel.navarro@laverne.edu.
Miguel Navarro is a senior journalism major with a concentration in broadcast journalism, and is a staff writer for the Campus Times. He also serves as a broadcaster at the University of La Verne, and he hopes to one day work in sports media.
