CLAREMONT, Calif. – LMU women's water polo competed in the first day of Claremont's Convergence and played two tight games on Friday. The #12 Lions won their opening game against #10 UC Irvine, 9-8, before dropping the second game of the day, 17-16, to #17 Michigan.
 
Game 1: #12 LMU 9, #10 UC Irvine 8
 
A penalty goal started the scoring as Ruth Arino Ruiz converted on LMU's opening possession. UC Irvine responded with three goals over the last four minutes of the quarter to take a 3-1 advantage.
 
Carolina Magano scored goals at the 6:45 mark and 1:31 mark to tie the game back up. Anna Tarantino scored just before halftime to push the Lions back ahead heading into intermission. 
 
Magano utilized a powerplay early in the third quarter to double LMU's lead. After the Anteaters added one back, Anna Tarantino again pushed the Lions ahead by two. UCI pulled back within one with 4:01 to play in the period and that score held heading into the fourth quarter.
 
Sophia DeMattia and Ruth Arino Ruiz each scored even strength goals in the opening two minutes of the fourth quarter to give the Lions their largest lead of the morning, 8-5. After UC Irvine cut it to two with a converted penalty shot of their own, Arino Ruiz gave LMU a three-goal cushion once again with 2:48 remaining. UCI scored twice over the last 1:22, but could not find a late equalizer.
 
Alyssa Barnuevo made a season-high 15 saves and added two assists in the win.
 
Game 2: #17 Michigan 17, #12 LMU 16
 
LMU took a three-goal lead in the first 92 seconds of play as Ruth Arino Ruiz, Anna Tarantino, and Sophia DeMattia all scored early in the game. After Michigan pulled back within one, Yanah Gerber pushed the lead to 4-2 with an even-strength goal at 3:33 in the first. The Wolverines scored two of the final three goals of the period to pull within one, with only Taylor Enright's goal at 1:12 keeping the Lions ahead.
 
Michigan opened the second quarter with three goals in three minutes to take a 7-5 lead. Tarantino answered with goals on consecutive possessions to even the score at 7-all with 4:13 to play until halftime. The Wolverines jumped ahead with a goal, but Carolina Magano ensured that the score the knotted at 8-8 at the half with her goal with 32 seconds remaining before intermission.
 
The Wolverines rebuilt their two-goal lead coming out of the break before Enright cut the deficit in half. The two teams traded off the next six goals as Tarantino, Mikayla Lopez, and Magano each responded to a Michigan goal. Tarantino scored her fifth of the game with less than a minute remaining in the third to level the score at 13-13 heading into the final quarter.
 
After falling back down by two, Arino Ruiz and Magano scored consecutive goals to tie the game once again with 4:46 remaining. Michigan scored a go-ahead goal to take a brief lead as Lopez tied the game at 16-all just 10 seconds later. The Wolverines scored the game-winner with 1:42 on the clock and despite a late timeout and final possession, LMU could not find one final tying goal.
 
Alyssa Barnuevo made six saves and added a steal in defeat.
 
Up Next:
 
Tournament play continues Saturday with LMU playing Mount Saint Mary's at 10:15 AM and Long Island University at 2:00 PM.
 
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