Sept. 3, 2016 LINKS: #LIONSTRONG | Give to LMU Athletics | LMU on Facebook | LMU on Twitter
LOS ANGELES - LMU men's water polo began the 2016 season with a split at the UC San Diego Triton Invitational on Saturday, earning a 12-11 win over Redlands and then falling down the stretch to seventh-ranked Long Beach State, 11-7.
The Lions opened the season picking up a one-goal win over the Bulldogs. Sophomore Dayne Jagga scored six goals, including the game winner with 2:59 to play. Then with 58 seconds left, junior goalie Dominick Beaudine made the biggest of his 12 saves, stopping a five-meter penalty shot to preserve the win.
"Against Redlands, we worked through some nerves, got much better defense in second half and really stuck together, " said Head Coach John Loughran. "Dom had a big penalty save to help secure win. We played well down the stretch and played great defense."
In the second game of the day, the Lions held the lead over the 49ers, 5-3, at the half. However, Long Beach State outscored the Lions 8-2 in the second half to pull away late.
"In the first half we executed very well and we once again had our defense working well," said Loughran. "I think in the second half we didn't capitalize on opportunities and had lapses and they were able to gain momentum. It was definitely youth and fixable mistakes that come from having a lot of new players. Our progress has been significant since last year."
Jag led the Lions with eight goals on the day while Eric Reitmeir had four. Jon Beck and Riley Smith added two goals each.
The Lions will stay down south taking on top-ranked UCLA on Sunday at 11:40 am. The game will be played at Del Mar High School.
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