THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — Cal Lutheran men's soccer recorded a season-high 27 shots but ultimately fell to the La Verne Leopards 3-2 on Saturday night.
Kai Nemoto began the scoring when he deposited a shot in the back of the net during the eighth minute of play. Scoring opportunities were plentiful in the first half as the Kingsmen had 13 shots, eight of which were on goal.
La Verne answered later in the first half, scoring a goal of their own to even things up at one apiece.
In the second half, the Kingsmen found themselves in a hole early after the Leopards scored to pull ahead 2-1. It didn't take long for the Kingsmen to tie things up as Chris Pelaez, assisted by Kane Reese, scored the equalizer in the 65th minute.
The Leopards took advantage late in the game when they converted on a penalty kick to pull back ahead 3-2 in the 84th minute, which proved to be the difference.
The Kingsmen held the shot advantage over La Verne 27-11, with 14 of the shots coming on goal. Pelaez and Nemoto notched their second goals of the season while Resse recorded his first assist.
JP Melgoza led the team with five shots, while Pelaez, along with Melgoza, had three shots on goal each. In goal, Davis Sharts made four saves.
With tonight's loss, the Kingsmen fall to 5-3-7 overall and 3-2-5 in SCIAC play. The Kingsmen will stay on the road for their next matchup when they play at Whittier on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
