Whittier College men's soccer suffered a 4-1 defeat at the hands of SCIAC rival University of La Verne in La Verne, Calif., on September 29.  The Poets are now 1-7-1 overall and 1-4-1 in conference play.

In a close first half, the only goal came from the Leopards in the opening minutes.  Wesley Lucas took a shot that was deflected and found the back of the net in the 6^th minute.  The Sagehens took 12 shots in the first half while the Poets didn't have a shot on goal.

In the second half, the Leopards extended their lead when they were awarded a penalty kick in the 69^th minute.  It was the first of two goals for Francisco Escobedo who also scored La Verne's third goal in the 73^rd minute.  The Poets got on the scoreboard with a goal from Daniel Covarrubias '11 in the 89^th minute.  The Leopards would strike one more time before the final whistle, when Hector Lepe scored in the final minute of the game making the final 4-1.

The lone goal for the Poets also marked the only shot for them in the game.  La Verne, on the other hand, peppered the Whittier goal with 26 shots in the game.  Whittier goalie, Paul Stepler-Camp '10 made nine saves in the loss.

The Poets take on Chapman University in a mid-season, non-conference game on October 1.  The game is at the Donald E. Graham Soccer Field at 7pm.