IRVINE, Calif. – The battle of the conferences was in place on Saturday as Loyola Marymount men's water polo (2-4) competed in the WWPA/GCC Challenge Cup. The 20^th-ranked Lions opened the day taking #8 Pepperdine to overtime and then playing #10 UC Irvine tight, losing by a pair of goals to each opponent.
 
Game 1: #8 Pepperdine 13, #20 LMU 11 (OT)
 
The Lions opened the tournament playing their PCHCup rival tough, with neither team leading by more than a goal after any period in regulation.
 
After Pepperdine opened the scoring, LMU took their first lead of the game when a Blazo Mitrovic 5-Meter goal followed a Dayne Jagga powerplay goal. The Waves scored on their ensuing possession, evening the score at 2-2 after one.
 
Mitrovic scored two goals in the second quarter, but was matched by an equalized from Pepperdine each time. With 39 seconds remaining until halftime, Eric Reitmeir gave LMU the 5-4 advantage heading into intermission.
 
Once Pepperdine tied things up to open the third, Alexandros Athymaritis, gave the lead back to LMU 6-5. Again the Waves evened the score before LMU rattled off three consecutive goals to take a 9-6 lead, their largest of the game. Joseph Shaw and Mitrovic capitalized with goals during a man advantage, then Daniel Arellano converted his 5M opportunity. Pepperdine scored three of the final four goals of the quarter with Athymaritis breaking up the run. In total, each team scored five goals in a busy third period.
 
The Waves took their first lead since the opening goal in the fourth quarter with back-to-back goals at the 6:32 and 5:26 marks, respectively. With the clock winding down, Athymaritis found Dayne Jagga for the equalizer with 1:16 on the clock to tie the score at 11-all and force overtime.
 
In the first extra period, Pepperdine scored both goals to ultimately take a 13-11 lead and the game.
 
In total, LMU converted five powerplays and two 5M as part of their 11 goals.
 
Game 2: #10 UC Irvine 10, #20 LMU 20
 
LMU was forced to work from an early deficit in the second game of the day, after UC Irvine jumped ahead 3-1 early after Matthew Knoedler got on the board for the Lions. LMU tied the score at 3-all on powerplay goals by Blazo Mitrovic and Alexandros Athymaritis, before UCI went ahead with 34 second remaining in the opening quarter.
 
A fast start to the second quarter gave LMU the lead after Mitrovic converted a 5-Meter goal and Eric Reitmeir converted a powerplay off a Mitrovic assist. The Anteaters scored the next two before Joseph Shaw scored to even the score at 6-6 with 2:21 until halftime. Irvine scored a late 5M to take the goal advantage into the break, leading 7-6 at intermission.
 
The Anteaters scored three of four goals in the third quarter, with Dayne Jagga scoring the lone one for LMU, to build their lead heading into the final period.
 
Despite LMU benefitting from another Jagga score in the fourth, that was the lone goal of the quarter and the game ended 10-8.
 
The Lions converted six powerplays while UCI was 0-for-6 on the man advantage.
 
Coming Up Next
 
The Lions have a showdown in Westwood with UCLA on Sept. 15. The Bruins currently are sharing the top ranking in the Collegiate Water Polo Poll with fellow Los Angeles school, Southern California.