Nov. 21, 2010

WWPA Result Game 17

SANTA CLARA, Calif. - The eighth-ranked LMU men's water polo team claimed their fourth straight Western Water Polo Association Championship on Sunday, defeating 12tth-ranked UC Davis in the WWPA Tournament Final, 9-6, at Sullivan Aquatics Center in Santa Clara, Calif.

The win puts them among the best in LMU history.

The Lions have now won eight titles in 10 years, and become the first men's team in LMU history to win four straight conference titles. They improve to 19-8 on the season and will advance to the 2010 National Colleigate Men's Water Polo Championship to be held Dec. 4-5 at the University of California as the WWPA automatic bid.

It will be the Lions eighth trip in the last 10 years to the NCAA tournament.

Senior Tibor Forai led seven Lions in scoring, netting three goals. Senior Andy Stevens made 12 saves in the win and claimed the Tournament MVP honors.

LMU scored the first goal of the game as Jon Colton fed senior Derek Milligan at the post and he knocked it in for a 1-0 lead with 5:10 to go in the first frame. The Lions then killed a 6-on-5 with a field block, and on the counter senior Dan Smith draws a penalty shot. Forai's five-meter with 3:47 on the clock made it 2-0.

Less than two minutes later, the Aggies would draw a penalty shot of their own and convert, making it 2-1.

On the next possession, Forai would get the goal back, scoring from about six meters out to make it 3-1.

The teams would trade another set of goals and the Aggies would fight off a 6-on-5 of their own, and score on the ensuing counter to make it 4-3 at the break.

Defense owned most of the third quarter, as Ikaika Aki would score on a 6-on-5 to make it 5-3, followed by the Aggies getting the goal back with 1:14 to play in the third.

However, LMU's leading scorer, junior Edgaras Asajavicius, would score a huge goal with 44 seconds left from seven meters out to put the Lions up 6-4 heading into the fourth quarter.

Forai would then finally get the Lions that three-goal separation, as his goal on a perfect pass from Aki with 6:31 to play made it 7-4. The teams would trade goals before Albert Samuels put the game away with a lob shot from six meters to make the score 9-5 with 3:31 to play.

Seeding and brackets will be announced on Monday, Nov. 29.