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LOS ANGELES - Trailing 5-0 at halftime to sixth-ranked UC Irvine, the 19th-ranked LMU women's water polo team rallied for six second-half goals, but would come up just short as the Anteaters escaped with a 8-6 victory Friday at the Burns Aquatic Center.

The Anteaters (16-9) broke a scoreless tie with 2:56 remaining in the first period and would slowly build a five-goal advantage through the half.

LMU had 10 shots in the first half, but were held at bay by four saves by UCI goalkeeper Annika Nelson, while also hitting the cage post five times.

The Lions began to build momentum in the third quarter as Bridgette Alvarez put LMU on the board at the 7:12 mark of the third quarter. Following a UCI exclusion, Ivana Castro added a 6-on-5 goal at the 6:05 mark, trimming the deficit to three, 5-2.

UCI would score twice midway through the third quarter to push their lead back to five before Caitlin Schafer made it 7-3 with 1:43 to go in the period.

Back-to-back goals by Castro to open the fourth quarter, including a 5-meter goal, forced an Anteater timeout as the spread was cut to two, 7-5.

UCI would score once more on a 6-on-5 with 3:30 remaining and, despite a fourth goal from Castro with under 10 seconds to play, the Anteaters escaped with the victory.

LMU goalkeeper Sky Flores finished with 12 saves while Nelson had seven for UCI.

The Lions return to Golden Coast Conference action Saturday with a match-up at Azusa Pacific. Game time is set for noon.

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