As the sun starts setting, coloring the sky in a variety of orange tones, music travels the surroundings of Ortmayer Stadium along with a chilly breeze. The stands are still empty, and there is a feeling of calm before the storm as a group of men walk together onto the field, just like any other Wednesday and Saturday.
A free kick goal and a red card undid the Leopards in a tough 2-0 defeat to the Chapman Panthers in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference postseason tournament semifinals Nov. 3 at Ortmayer Stadium.
In an epic comeback, the men’s soccer team defied the odds and snatched a victory right off the Redlands Bulldogs’ hands to convert a 2-0 disadvantage into a 3-2 road win Friday at Farquhar Field.
Senior forward Saul Uribe came to the rescue twice in the same week to earn the Leopards wins in the final minutes against the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Stags and Whittier Poets.
The Leopards’ tenacity kept them alive until the final minutes and almost resulted in a goal on the last play, but the home team was unable to prevail against Cal Lutheran, falling 1-0 Monday at Ortmayer Stadium.
Senior midfielder Justin Funes opened the scoring for La Verne after taking a shot outside the 18-yard box, placing it in the far corner, to lead the Leopards to a 2-0 win over the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Stags.