TEMPE, Ariz. – #18 LMU women's water polo put a strong start to the 2024 season on display Saturday at the Arizona State Tournament. The Lions won two games to open the event, defeating Salem in the season-opener 18-7 and closing the day with a  25-3 victory over Cal Lutheran.
 
Game 1: #18 LMU 18, Salem 7
 
Ruth Arino Ruiz and Yanah Gerber put the Lions ahead 2-0 within the first two minutes of the season. After Salem scored their first goal of the year, Skye Nankervis responded less than a minute later to push the lead back up to two. The Tigers scored on a powerplay with less than a minute to play in the opening quarter to pull back within one, 3-2.
 
A trio of Lions scored the first three goals of the second quarter as Sophia DeMattia, Arino Ruiz, and Lior Ben David all beat Salem's goalkeeper. After the Tigers stopped the run, Kawehi Kauahi scored her first collegiate goal of her career. Salem scored with three seconds remaining in the first half to bring the score to 7-4 at intermission.
 
The Lions again opened a quarter strong, scoring the first five goals of the third period. Anna Tarantino scored on LMU's opening possession before Arino Ruiz scored the next three for the Lions, and Kauahi added another with 3:18 on the clock. Salem scored once in the third before Isabella Obando and Kauahi closed out the period with the final two of LMU's seven third quarter goals.
 
LMU added to the lead in the fourth quarter as Taylor Enright opened with her first goal of the season and Tessa Matson scored the next two. The Tigers scored two late sandwiched around a goal from Tarantino.
 
Madison Davis made four saves in 16 minutes in the cage. Inbar Geva played the other half of the game.
 
Game 2: #18 LMU 25, Cal Lutheran 3
 
LMU jumped out to a 5-0 lead against Cal Lutheran and scored eight of the game's nine first quarter goals. Anna Tarantino opened the scoring and found the back of the cage twice in the first quarter. Lior Ben David, Ruth Arino Ruiz, Sophia DeMattia, Taylor Enright, Skye Nankervis, and Yanah Gerber each added a goal of their own in the opening eight mintues.
 
After CLU opened the second period with a goal the Lions closed the period with the final three goals of the half as Gerber, Noa Sasover, and Ben David all extended the lead to 11-2 at intermission.
 
The Lions scored all six third quarter goals to extend their lead to 17-2. Sasover started the second half with two goals, Nenkervis added two of her own, and Sophie Kadifa and Yanah Gerber scored a goal apiece in the third.
 
The Regals started the fourth quarter with one final goal before the Lions finished strong with the final eight. The scoring closed, in order, with one from Ben David, two from Kauahi, two from Gerber, one from Larson, one from Tarantino, and one from Enright.
 
LMU again split time with Madison Davis and Inbar Geva in the cage, playing 16 minutes apiece. Geva recorded her first two saves as a Lion.
 
In total, 13 different Lions scored goals on Saturday.
 
The Lions will face the tournament hosts in the first game on Sunday morning. After matching up against #14 Arizona State, LMU will close out the weekend against #20 Wagner in the afternoon.

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