LOS ANGELES – With the score tied 10-10, and less than two and a half minutes to play in the fourth quarter, the San Diego State water polo team was outscored by the Loyola Marymount Lions 2-1 and fell 12-11 in each team's Golden Coast Conference (GCC) opener on Sunday at the Burns Aquatics Center on the LMU campus.
The matchup, the third of the year between the two programs, has seen the Lions take all three games. Earlier this season, LMU defeated San Diego State 12-11 at the Triton Invitational and 11-5 at the Barbara Kalbus Invitational.
The Aztecs (7-10, 0-1 GCC) jumped out to a 3-1 lead in the first 4:13 of the opening period.
Laurene Padilla got the scoring going with the game's initial goal at 7:21, which was followed by the equalizer, 33 seconds later from LMU. San Diego State then got back-to-back strikes from Lucia Carballo, at 4:32, and the first of three goals from Sydney Hurst, at 3:47. However, Loyola Marymount scored twice before the end of the quarter to send the game to the second tied 3-3.
The Lions (10-7, 1-0 GCC) scored the first two goals of the second quarter to take a 5-3 lead, before Hurst scored to pull SDSU to within a goal at 4:32. However, LMU then got a pair of tallies to push its advantage to 7-4, which would be the largest lead either team would have all day. The Aztecs scored the last goal of the half, from Danni Croteau at 1:42, to send the game to the intermission with San Diego State trailing 7-5.
In the third quarter each team scored twice and the scoring went back and forth. Rose Kanemy scored first for the Aztecs, at 6:36, and the Lions answered at the 5:10 mark. Spencer Samuel brought the Aztecs back within a goal, at 8-7 with 4:35 to go in the period, but LMU got the goal back at 1:52, and the game went to the final eight minutes with San Diego State down 9-7.
Karli Canale, at 7:35, and Hurst, at 6:48, scored to get the game level at 9-9 early in the fourth. The Lions went back in front with a goal at 4:27, but Padilla answered with the equalizer 28 seconds later. Loyola Marymount scored twice down the stretch, at 2:21 and 1:44, before Kanemy got the last tally of the game, at 1:27, for the final margin of 12-11.
San Diego State had the better power play percentage .667 (4-of-6)-to-.375 (3-of-8) and outshot the Lions, 33-to-23 overall, but LMU had the better shot percentage in the game, 33.3-to-52.2. Loyola Marymount was successful on 3-of-4 penalty shots, while the Aztecs did not have an opportunity to take a penalty shot.
In goal, Zoe Morgan went the distance making four saves and allowing 12 goals.
San Diego State: 3-2-2-4 – 11
Loyola Marymount: 3-4-2-3 – 12
San Diego State Goals: Hurst (3), Kanemy (2), Padilla (2), Canale (1), Carballo (1), Croteau (1), Samuel (1)
Loyola Marymount Goals: Gerber (4), Williams (3), Arino Ruiz (2), Seletopoulou (2), Sanchez (1)
San Diego State Saves: Morgan (4)
Loyola Marymount Saves: Davis (7)
-SDSU-
Aztecs Nipped in the Fourth Quarter at LMU
