LOS ANGELES – The Loyola Marymount women's water polo team (11-7) proved that they had the ability to win close games on Saturday. The #12 Lions made their home debuts in the 18^thAnnual LMU Invitational and began the season win two wins at Burns Aquatics Center, beating both Wagner and Bucknell.
 
GAME 1: #12 LMU 15, #13 Wagner 13 (OT)
 
Hana Vilanova opened the tournament's first game with a converted 5-Meter to put LMU ahead on the team's opening possession. After Wagner tied the score, Vilanova found Marialena Selepotoulou for a go-ahead goal with 4:40 remaining in the first. The Seahawks responded with a goal at 2:55, as the period ended tied at 2-apiece.
 
Wagner took their first lead of the game with a goal to open the second before another Vilanova 5-Meter shot equalized with 6:41 on the clock. The two teams traded off the remaining four goals of the half, with Abbey Grosse scoring at the 3:19 mark and Mollie Williams tying the score at 5-5 with 10 seconds on the clock.
 
Grosse gave the lead back to the Lions on a powerplay goal early in the third quarter. Following consecutive goals by the Seahawks, Morgan Molloy evened the game at 7-all with 4:31 to play in the third. Once Wagner went back on top, consecutive goals by Williams and Molloy switched the lead back over to the Lions. The two sides went back-and-forth for the period's final four goals, with Molloy accounting for both, to give LMU the one-goal advantage heading into the final period.
 
Selepotoulou pushed it to a two goal advantage to open the fourth, but three-straight Wagner goals pushed the visitors again with two minutes remaining in regulation. With LMU on their final possession of the quarter, Grosse found Vilanova for the game-tying goal, and forcing overtime at 13-13.
 
LMU capitalized in the extra periods with a goal in each session. Molloy scored in the first overtime, her fifth goal of the game, and Vilanova scored her fourth in the sixth period to seal the 15-13 victory for the Lions.
 
Playing all 32 minutes in goal and recording 10 saves, Sky Flores earned the win for the Lions.
 
GAME 2: #12 LMU 10, (RV) Bucknell 8
 
The Lions jumped out to an early 3-0 lead over the Bison with a goal from Morgan Molloy followed by a pair from Marialena Seletopoulou to bookend the end of the first and start of the second. Bucknell got on the board before halftime with 1:03 left in the first half to make it a 3-1 game at the break.
 
The busy third quarter opened with a Hana Vilanova goal. After Bucknell scored on a powerplay, Seletopoulou capitalized on the 6-on-5 advantage for the Lions. The Bison scored four of the next five in the quarter, with an Abbey Grosse goal sandwiched in the middle. Mollie Williams gave LMU the advantage heading into the fourth with her goal with two seconds remaining in the third quarter.
 
Morgan Molloy and Hana Vilanova scored the first two goals of the final period to extend LMU's advantage to 9-6. Once Bucknell got one back, Vilanova scored her third of the day with two minutes remaining. The Bison added one more later, but the Lions held onto the 10-8 win.
 
Sky Flores made six saves and added a steal in goal for LMU.
 
Up Next 
 
The LMU Invitational continues with eight more games from Burns Aquatics Center on Saturday. The Lions will once again play the 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. time slots. LMU opens with #20 Marist at 8 a.m. and will close out the home tournament against #14 Princeton in the afternoon.