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LOS ANGELES -- The annual NorCal Invitational features the nation's best, providing every team with the toughest of challenges, including the 2014 KAP7 NorCal Classic featuring 14 ranked programs. For LMU, that challenge was even tougher as five starters were missing from the line-up.

Even with the limited roster, the Lions managed to have a margin in each game of just 1.25 against the nation's best, including a pair of overtime thrillers on the final day on Sunday. The Lions wrapped up the day with a 12-11 overtime win against Redlands.

"We were in the position of putting players in the line-up that had to step-up and learn new roles on the fly," said Head Coach John Loughran. "We had to face trying circumstances all weekend. We seemed to be short handed all weekend and five-meter calls seemed to doom us. But I thought overall we had our roster step-up."

The Lions were without starters Cory McGee (2013 WWPA Newcomer of the Year), Joe Ferretti (2013 WWPA Honorable Mention), Milutin Mitrovic (two-time All-American), Vuk Cvetkovic and Kyle Etrata.

On Sunday, the Lions fell to Pomona-Pitzer, 9-8, in sudden-death overtime thanks to a five-meter penalty scored as the winner in the third overtime frame. And in the finale, Tyler Testman scored in the final minute of the second overtime to lift the Lions to the win.

Showing the depth the Lions needed to go on their roster, Testman, Emanuel Di Stasio and Liam Jennis scored two goals each. Jennis led the Lions with nine goals on the tournament. Eric Hernandez scored his first goal as a Lion, as did Daniel Canburn and Jack Mulligan.

In the first game on Sunday, Jennis had two goals, as did Jon Beck. Nicholas Zanobini, Matt Stipanovich and Testman each had goals.

The Lions host their first game at home of the season on Saturday, Sept. 27 when they welcome Western Water Polo Association foe Fresno Pacific at the Burns Aquatics Center at 12 noon.