Nov. 12, 2002
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
Just Briefly
The seventh-ranked Loyola Marymount University men's water polo team will head out on the road for the first time since Oct. 13 to take on rival Pepperdine on Nov. 13 in a rematch of the Lions thrilling 7-6 sudden death overtime win two weeks ago. It will be the final regular season game for the Lions before heading to UC San Diego for the Western Water Polo Association Championships on Nov. 22-23.
Up Next
The Lions earned the first win in program history over fifth-ranked Pepperdine on Oct. 24 at Burns Recreation and Aquatics Center in Sudden Death overtime, 7-6. The rematch will be Wednesday, Nov. 13 at 2:00 p.m. in Malibu, Calif. The Waves are 13-8 on the season. Junior Ryan Chapatte scored 53 seconds into sudden death overtime to lift the LMU to a 7-6 victory over Pepperdine in the first meeting of the season between the two rivals. The game entered overtime tied at 5-5. Both senior Kevin Witt for the Lions and sophomore Jesse Smith for the Waves netted hat-tricks in regulation to lead their teams to overtime. The Waves would score in the first overtime period on an extra-man goal by Jeremy Grubbs. The Lions evened the score at 6-6 in the second overtime period on a goal by senior Eric Lefebvre to set-up the triple overtime winner by Chapatte. On the season the Waves are paced by Smith's 56 goals.
Senior Eight
Eight seniors will put a close to their final regular season as a Lion when they take on Pepperdine on Nov. 13. Seniors Kevin Paulsen, Kevin Witt, Adam Zintsmaster, Andrew Aukland, Andrew Jensen, Eric Lefebvre and Tim Roschke were a big part of the Lions' first conference championship in 2001. Paulsen and Witt lead the group in accolades, each earning All-America honors a year ago. Witt, a two-time All-American, is second all-time in program history with 194 goals (200 points) and 142 steals in his four-year career. Paulsen burst on the water polo map in 2001 with his performance in the WWPA Championship win over UC San Diego. He held the Triton's to just two goals to earn WWPA Player of the Year honors. He has 148 saves this 2002 season and 409 in his three-year career. In addition, Aukland has been with the program for four seasons and has scored 12 goals in his career. Sitting out the 2001 season to give the Lions added scoring depth in this 2002 season, the fifth-year senior Jensen has not disappointed, scoring 24 goals this season. He has now scored 79 in his career, including his career-high of 28 in 1998 as a freshman. He now ranks 16th all-time in LMU history. Coming to the squad just for one season was Lefebvre. A postgraduate student who came from Vanderbilt, this 2-meter performer has been a force in the middle, earning 58 kick-outs drawn. In addition he has 18 goals on the season. Roschke, from Houston, Texas, is another four-year letterwinner for the Lions who has continued to earn more playing time each season. He has compiled eight goals and 15 assists in his career. Finally, Zintsmaster played two seasons at LMU after coming from West Valley Community College. He has scored 20 goals in his career with 23 steals.
Week Recap
The Lions finished their 10-game homestand on a four-game winning streak, including three last week. LMU started the week on Thursday, Nov. 7 with a 15-1 defeat of Claremont in the first game played in the rain at the new Burns Recreation and Aquatics Center. The rain would continue as the Lions hosted a three-team WWPA round robin on Saturday, Nov. 9. The Lions defeated 20th-ranked Air Force 13-7 in the first game and then defeated Redlands 10-2 in the final game of the day. Air Force upended Redlands 13-7 in the second game. The Lions top goal scorers, senior Kevin Witt, junior Ryan Chapatte and freshman Endre Rex-Kiss had solid outings this week. Chapatte now leads the team with 43 goals thanks to seven goals and an assist last week. He had a five-goal game against Air Force. Witt finished with eight goals, four assists and four steals, while Rex-Kiss added five goals, two assists and two steals.
Year of Firsts
The men's water polo team have been knocking off some old trends this 2002 season. The Lions have earned impressive wins over some of the nation's best for the first time in program history. For the first time in school's history, the men's water polo team earned wins against Long Beach State, Pacific and Pepperdine. The Lions have knocked off the 49ers twice this season, earning an 8-6 win in Long Beach on Sept. 26 and a 13-12 sudden death overtime thriller on Oct. 5. The Lions defeated Pacific 12-7 on Oct. 6 and then added to that list with a 7-6 sudden death overtime win over Pepperdine on Oct. 24.
Solid Debut
Freshman Endre Rex-Kiss is having a great start to his collegiate career. The two-meter performer finished the first weekend at the UC San Diego Triton Invitational with five goals, including an impressive four-goal performance in the Lions' 21-3 win over Santa Clara. He hasn't slowed down since. He added three more the following week at USC, scoring a goal against USC, UCSB and Navy. He then put together back-to-back hat-tricks, getting three tallies against Long Beach State and UC Santa Barbara. He added another three-goal output against Cal in the NorCal Tourney. He posted his second straight back-to-back hat-trick effort with three against Whittier and three more against Pomona. He currently is second on the team in scoring with 41 goals, scoring with great efficiency, posting a shooting percentage of 46.6 (41 of 88).
Welcome Back
Junior Ryan Chapatte and senior Andrew Jensen have had an impact in their return following their redshirt year in 2001. Chapatte leads the team in goals with 43, including the game winner against Pepperdine and a five-goal outburst against 20th-ranked Air Force. He is also second on the team with 32 steals. Chapatte had six tallies in the NorCal Tournament, including a hat-trick in the 13-12 win over Long Beach State. Also adding six goals at the NorCal Tourney was Jensen. He had a three-goal game of his own, earning his first of the season in the win over Pacific. Last week he scored four goals against UC Santa Cruz to give him 24 on the season, just four shy of his season high of 28 he set as a freshman in 1998. On the season he is hitting 40 percent of his shots. While Chapatte and Jensen returned to the line-up, senior Eric Lefebvre, who transferred from Villanova and played for their club program, joined the Lions and NCAA Division I varsity competition for the first time. Lefebvre leads the team with 58 kick-outs drawn and has added 18 goals, including an overtime tally against Pepperdine.
At the Final Four
The Lions were met with cold and rainy weather at Stanford as they prepared for the National Championships. LMU (seeded third) was matched against UCLA (seeded second) for the first game. The Bruins came out strong in the first half, outscoring the Lions 5-1. LMU turned the second half around to bring the score within two, as time ran out and the defending national champions UCLA advanced to the Championship game with the 7-5 victory. With the loss on the first day the Lions advanced to the consolation game, where they faced the University of Massachusetts for third place. LMU jumped out to the early 11-5 halftime lead of the match, then capped it with three second half goals to claim the 14-6 win.
All-American Lions
Kevin Witt repeated his All-American title this season, as he was once again named to the second team. He was the second highest scorer on the team with 42 goals from 112 attempts. In 2002, Witt has scored 24 goals (third on the team), adding 18 steals, 19 kick-outs drawn and eight assists. With his goal total this season, Witt has tallied 200 in his four-year career. He replaced Charlie Wallace for second place on the all-time goal list. Kevin Paulsen, who was also given honorable mention from the USWPA for his instrumental role in the cage for the Lions. Paulsen ended the 2001 season with 192 saves, allowing only 159 goals. He was one of four Lions to have played in each of the Lions 29 games on the season. This season he has made 148 saves, on pace to set his all-time season high of 159 he set last year.
Travel to San Diego
Loyola Marymount University is offering Lion's fans an opportunity to travel in style to support the men's water polo team at the Western Water Polo Association Championships held at UC San Diego Nov. 22-23. On Sunday, Nov. 23 buses will take as many fans as possible to support the Lions as they defend their conference crown. Following the men's water polo action, fans will then be bused to support the women's volleyball team as they take on San Diego the evening of Nov. 23 at USD. The transportation is free and includes some lunch. For more information, contact the ticket office at (310) 338-LION.
LMU Head Coach
John Loughran enters his sixth season at the helm of Loyola Marymount University aquatics. He has reached unparalleled success in overseeing the men's and women's water polo and women's swimming programs. In 2001 he earned his 150th victory as a head coach with the Lions' 14-7 win over Redlands at the end of the regular season. In the process he guided the Lions to its first-ever Western Water Polo Association championship. They finished the season 15-14, earning a bid to the NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship. Loughran has won three straight Coach of the Year honors by the WWPA, two in women's water polo and one in men's. He has posted an overall record of 94-78 (.547) in five-plus seasons at LMU, ranking him as the program's all-time winnings coach. He has also earned a record of 89-55 (.618) with the women's water polo team, leading them back to back-to-back WWPA championships and two consecutive appearances to the NCAA final four. Loughran came to Los Angeles after five years as head coach for the men's and women's water polo and men's swim teams at Queens College in Flushing, N.Y. He led Queens College men's water polo to a 75-63 overall record in five seasons. In nine years he has posted an overall record of 160-137.
