Oct. 21, 2003
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Just Briefly
The 10th-ranked Loyola Marymount University men's water polo team will look to snap a three-game skid against the nation's top-10 when they travel to USC on Wednesday for a 5:00 p.m. start. They will then return home for a Western Water Polo Association clash against Whittier on 2:30 p.m., Saturday at the Burns Recreation Center.
Coming Up
The Lions will look to rebound from a heartbreaking loss to sixth-ranked UC San Diego when they take on the second-ranked Trojans on Wednesday. The Trojans are 12-2 overall on the season as head coach Jovan Vavic is in his ninth season as the head coach of the men's water polo program. Sophomore two-meter defender Juraj Zatovic leads the team this season with 34 goals. Senior driver Gadi Hadar returns for his third season with the Trojans and is third on the team in scoring with 21 goals. Hadar scored 11 goals in four matches as the Trojans won the So-Cal Tournament title. Senior goalie Bozidar Damjanovic currently has 99 saves in 14 matches. Damjanovic has been a four-year starter for the Trojans. Whittier enters the week with a record of 7-12 overall and will take on Redlands and Claremont before battling the Lions.
Scouting the Series
This will be the seventh meeting between USC and LMU. The Trojans have won the previous six meetings, winning the last five by two goals or less. Last year's meeting saw the Trojans score in the final minute to earn a 6-5 win at the Burns Recreation and Aquatics Center, the first at the two-year old facility. In the 2002 season the Lions played Whittier three times, winning all three by a combined score of 44-15. The Lions hold a 21-3 all-time series edge on the Poets, including a 14-5 win in the first game of the season at the UC San Diego Triton Invitational on Sept. 6. The series began in 1988 with the Lions winning 8-6.
Around the Corner
Right around the corner for the Lions will be home games against Claremont on Oct. 31 and then UCLA on Nov. 6. Both games will start at 3:00 p.m.
Ranked Opponents
Of the Lions first 19 games this season, 14 have been against ranked opponents. LMU has a record of 4-10 against ranked opponents. The Lions will take on another team ranked in the top-10 with No. 2 USC on Wednesday. That game will mark the 12th meeting against a top-10 team this season for the Lions.
Equality
After 19 games in the 2003 season the Lions' offense has proven to be balanced as four Lions are among the top of the scoring list. Sophomore Endre Rex-Kiss, who was second on the team a year ago with 45 goals, leads the team with 33 in 2003, scoring four times against UC San Diego. Last year's scoring leader, senior Ryan Chapatte, had three against the Tritons to bring his total to 31. Senior Kris Barr has already topped his total from last season as he sits third on the team with 21 tallies, including the game winner against UC Santa Barbara. Senior Tamas Szego is fourth on the team with 19 goals and senior Scott Smith is fifth with 15 goals.
Senior Leaders
Senior Tamas Szego, who had 22 goals last season and played in all 32 games, has had a solid start in his final season with 19 goals on 55 shots while adding 17 steals. Szego now has 119 goals in his LMU career, moving him into 11th all-time in program history. His 17 steals also gives him 64 steals through his career, moving him to ninth all-time at LMU. Also being asked to take leadership in his final season is senior Kris Barr. He also answered the call, scoring 21 on the season. He has already surpassed his total from 2002 when he missed over half the season. He has moved into the all-time scoring list with 80, placing him 17th in career goals. Barr leads the team with 33 steals and is second with 12 assists. He now has 71 steals in his career, moving ahead of Szego for eighth all-time. Senior Ryan Chapatte has replaced Szego for 10th all-time in scoring at LMU with 130 in his career, 31 on the year. He has also added 126 steals in his career, putting him third in the LMU record books. Moving into the record books last week was sophomore Endre Rex-Kiss. His four goals gives him 78 in his career, 19th all-time at LMU.
LiveStats
Follow the Lions all season with the new LiveStats feature for men's water polo. During any LMU home game, follow the action live through LiveStats. The special feature will include an updated score, scoring summaries, a scoring chart showing where the goals were scored, saves chart and much more. For more, go to www.LMULions.com.
In Net
Freshman goalie Ian Elliot had a break through tournament at the SoCal Invitational, shutting down the top offenses in the nation last weekend. The Tustin, Calif., native had 50 saves in four games at the SoCal Invite. On the season he has 167. He had 17 saves in the three-overtime heartbreaker to California and added 14 against fifth-ranked UCLA. Elliot was a two-time All-American at Foothill High School.
Last Week
UCSD 9, LMU 8 - The 10th-ranked Loyola Marymount University men's water polo team had its seventh heartbreaking one-goal loss to a team in the nation's top-10 as they fall to sixth-ranked UC San Diego 9-8 at the Burns Recreation and Aquatics Center on Friday afternoon. UC San Diego's Chris Finegood scored with one minute to play in the final quarter for the eventual game-winner as the Tritons knock off the Lions in a key battle in the Western Water Polo Association. UC San Diego improves to 12-7 on the year while the Lions fall to 9-10. Of those 10, seven have come by one goal against teams in the nation's top-10. Trailing by a goal entering the final frame, sophomore Endre Rex-Kiss scored his third goal of the game with 5:19 on the clock to tie the game at 7-7. The Tritons would answer just over a minute later on a goal by Matthew Ustaszewski with 4:09 remaining to take an 8-7 lead. With under three minutes to play the Lions would hold a one-minute possession, getting off three shots on UCSD goalie Colin McElroy. He would answer the call as he would knock two shots out of bounds and the third he would gather. With the stop, Finegood would score on the next offensive trip to give UCSD a 9-7 lead. It was a key goal as the Lions would score with 40 seconds left in regulation on an extra-man attack by Rex-Kiss, his fourth of the day. UCSD would run the clock down on their final possession and gave LMU just four seconds in an attempt to tie. The Lions could not get a shot off. LMU would take a 4-3 lead into halftime thanks to a pair of goals by senior Ryan Chapatte and single goals by senior Tamas Szego and Rex-Kiss. Matt Ellis, Jonathan Hopkins and Chris Finegood all scored in the first half for UCSD. The Tritons would then score four goals in the third quarter to take the lead for good. Clark Petersen scored twice while Hopkins and Ellis would add one each to take the 7-6 lead into the final quarter. Chapatte finished with three goals for LMU.
2002 Postseason Honors
Following the annual tournament, the WWPA selects its all-conference teams. Senior Kevin Witt for the Lions won Player of the Year honors, the second straight year a Lion has won the honor. Senior Kevin Paulsen won the award last season. Joining Witt on the first-team All-WWPA team was junior Ryan Chapatte, who led the team in goals with 49. Earning second-team honors was the senior Paulsen and freshman Endre Rex-Kiss. In his first season of collegiate water polo, Rex-Kiss had 45 goals, 27 steals and 20 assists. Named to the third-team was senior Andrew Jensen, who had 27 goals this season for the Lions.
LMU Head Coach
In six previous seasons at the helm of the men's water program, Head Coach John Loughran has achieved unparalleled success. As he enters his seventh season overseeing all three aquatic sports (men's and women's water polo and women's swimming), Loughran has built a program that continues to gain national exposure. In 2001, his men's water polo team won its first-ever Western Water Polo Association championship. They finished the season 15-14, earning a bid to the 2001 NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship. The 2002 season finished with a 17-15 overall record and a second place finish in the WWPA with a 9-3 record. Adding to his impressive resume, Loughran has won four WWPA Coach of the Year honors, three in women's water polo (2001, 2002, 2003) and one in men's water polo (2001). He has posted an overall record of 105-90 (.543) for the men's team in six seasons, ranking him as the program's all-time winningest coach. He reached the century mark with the 8-7 win over 7th-ranked UC Irvine on Sept. 17. He has also earned a record of 113-64 (.618) with the women's water polo program, leading them to three straight WWPA championships and three consecutive appearances to the NCAAs.
