May 16, 2010

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SAN DIEGO, Calif. - The seventh-ranked LMU women's water polo team could not recover from a slow start against fourth-ranked Cal, falling 11-7 in the third place game of the 2010 National Collegiate Women's Water Polo Championships at San Diego State's Aztec Aquaplex on Sunday afternoon.

Playing their third straight game against a team in the nation's top-four, the Lions spotted the Bears a 3-0 lead and could never recover to finish the season in fourth place nationally.

"I am really proud of this team and the way they progressed at this tournament, and throughout this season," said Head Coach Kyle Witt, who concludes his first season at the helm of the Lions. "Today, we never stopped. We never stopped driving, we never stopped working the ball into two-meters, we never stopped attacking. We never stopped all season."

It was a record-setting season for the Lions. LMU finishes with the second-most wins in program history at 28-6 overall, earned their first-ever win over a top-ranked team (UCLA) on Friday, had the longest winning streak in program history this season (14), and went 11-0 against conference foes to stretch their winning streak to a program-best 24 games.

"We accomplished a lot this season and with our performance in this year's NCAA tournament, I think we sent notice to the water polo community and earned a lot of respect," said Witt. "Our team just kept working all season, all game and I am very proud of them."

Sophomore Kimberly Benedetti led the Lions with a pair of goals for the second straight game. Freshman Erin Manke added another pair.

Cal jumped on the Lions quickly, claiming a 3-0 lead with 1:29 to play. Benedetti finally got the Lions on the board, scoring a 6-on-5 goal with 56 seconds to play. But Cal, as they would the entire game, would answer right back to keep the Lions at arms length. The Bears' Emily Csikos scored with 43 seconds left in the opening quarter to make it 4-1.

The teams would trade goals, starting with Daisy Carrillo's 6-on-5 goal with 7:21 to go in the first half. The Lions would draw a tournament-high 11 ejections, scoring on four of those opportunities. Cal was 2-for-4 on the 6-on-5 attack and also scored on their one five-meter opportunity.

Anne Scott, one of just two active seniors on the NCAA tournament roster, cut the lead to 6-4 on a goal with 2:42 to play. However, 20 seconds later Cal answered again and sent the game to the break at 7-4.

Cal scored the first two goals of the second half, taking a 9-4 lead. LMU would make one last attempt to close the gap, as Benedetti and Manke each scored to close the third quarter to make it a three-goal game, 9-6, entering the fourth quarter. However, Cal answered again to start the fourth quarter and the Lions would not get any closer.