RIVERSIDE, Calif. – The #7 LMU women's water polo team has once again earned the Golden Coast Conference Regular Season Championship after defeating #21 California Baptist University, 14-7, on Friday afternoon. The Lions have won back-to-back-to-back GCC Regular Season Championships and have extended their conference win streak to 22 games.
 
LMU started the game fast, taking a 4-0 lead in the first quarter. Noa Sasover and Brooke Tora Gil started the scoring with a goal apiece over the first three minutes of gameplay. Anna Tarantino doubled the lead with two goals less than 50 seconds apart to push the Lions ahead 4-0 in the opening period.
 
CBU's Niya Bumbaca scored two of her team-high three goals on back-to-back possessions to pull the home team within two just over a minute into the second quarter. The Lancers scored with 4:20 remaining in the half to pull within one. After Chelsea Isaac doubled the lead back up for the Lions, the Lancers again pulled within one with less than three minutes to play before halftime. Tarantino closed out the quarter with two goals in the final 2:12 to bring her game total to four goals. Tarantino scored on the 6-on-5 and then followed with an even-strength goal with three ticks left in the half.
 
A penalty goal by Carolina Magano and a goal from Emison Styris increased the LMU lead to 9-4 less than a minute into the second half. CBU responded with the next two before Magano added her second of the quarter. The Lancers scored in the final two seconds to bring the game to 10-7 after three periods.
 
Tora Gil completed her hat trick with the first two goals of the fourth quarter. Isaac scored with 2:36 left to play and Athena Ayers grew the lead to seven with her goal in the final 21 seconds.
 
Madison Searle earned the win with her 12 saves in the cage.
 
With the win, LMU became the outright conference champions and will enter the GCC Tournament at the top seed. The conference championships are slated for April 10-12 in Fresno, Calif. Tickets are available on the GCC website.
 
The Lions have one more game this weekend, an away contest at #3 UCLA.
 
 
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