Sept. 23, 2002

Los Angeles, CA (Sept. 23, 2002) - When Loyola Marymount University men's soccer coach Paul Krumpe was asked if his team's 2-0 win over then third-ranked UCLA was the biggest in program history, the response was "absolutely."

Big wins over top-ranked opponents are nothing new to LMU's athletic program.

The Lions entered the game on Sept. 22 ranked 17th in the country. They were facing the highest ranked team ever to come to Sullivan Field. The result was the 2-0 victory and yet another notch in the Lions' belt of knocking off the countries best.

"We haven't done much, yet," said Krumpe of his Lions who are 6-0-2 on the season. However, what they have done is join a growing list of LMU teams to knock off higher ranked opponents. Only the baseball team has knocked off a higher ranked opponent in the last 20 years.

With the victory, the men's soccer team moved to seventh in the country, the highest in program history. The ranking has them moving toward the rafters as one of the higher ranked teams among any sport at LMU in at least 20 years.

The trend started in 1986 when the LMU baseball team, in the middle of a winning streak that saw them claim victories in 20 of 21 games, were ranked No. 1 in the country by the ESPN/Collegiate Basketball Poll on April 22, 1986. That season saw the Lions defeat No. 5 LSU, No. 10 Hawaii, No. 11 UC Santa Barbara, #13 UCLA and No. 14 Pepperdine to help them climb to the top of the rankings. It is the highest ranking by any team in school history.

In the mid-90s, the women's volleyball team made a habit of knocking off top-ranked opponents to move them among the elite in the NCAA. In 1996 they reached their highest ranking of No. 6 in the final regular season poll. They started that season ranked 20th in the nation and following wins against No. 25 Colorado State, No. 18 San Diego State, No. 15 UC Santa Barbara twice and the entire West Coast Conference, they never dropped in the polls to claim the number six spot. They are back at it again, earning victories over No. 22 Colorado and highly regarded Notre Dame to earn votes in the coaches' poll with an 8-3 record this season.

In the past two seasons, however, no team has knocked off more top ranked teams than the water polo programs. Of LMU's wins against teams in the top-15 (since 1986), the women's water polo teams has claimed seven of them. Both the men's and women's water polo team finished their most recent seasons ranked seventh in the nation in the polls while advancing and placing third in the NCAA tournament. The women's team has done it the last two seasons.

The men's basketball team is also on the list, knocking off defending champion and 13th-ranked Michigan in the 1990 NCAA tournament as they advanced to the Elite Eight. Softball also made the list just last season, beating 10th-ranked Fresno State twice in the 2002 season, splitting the season series. The women's soccer team, who is also having a solid start to the 2002 season at 5-2, had the biggest win in the 2001-02 school year, defeating seventh-ranked Saint Mary's on Oct. 28, 2001.

As the men's soccer team has yet to reach the halfway point to their 2002 season, they look to continue their role in adding to LMU's winning tradition. "We could be a very, very good team," said Krumpe.

Wins Over the Top-14 Since 1986
Sport	Date		Opponent		Result	LMU Rk
BASE	May 21, 1998	#2 Stanford	6-2	NR
BASE	Feb. 20, 2001	#2 USC		9-1	NR
MSOC 	Sept. 22, 2002	#3 UCLA		2-0	17
BASE	June 1986		#5 LSU		4-3	6
WWP	Apr. 18, 2001	#6 UCSB		5-3	10
WSOC	Oct. 28, 2001	#7 Saint Mary's	1-0	NR
WWP	Feb. 10, 2002	#7 Hawaii		8-3	10
BASE	1989		#7 Long Beach St.	11-3	NR
MWP	Oct. 13, 2001	#8 UCSB		8-5	10
MWP	Oct. 25, 2001	#8 UC San Diego	7-6	7
MWP	Sept. 26, 2001	#8 Long Beach St.	8-6	10
WWP	Feb. 9, 2002	#9 San Diego State	5-3	10
WWP	Apr. 21, 2001	#9 Long Beach St.	5-3	10
WVB	Nov. 4, 2000	#9 Pepperdine	3-1	24
WWP	Apr. 29, 2001	#10 UC Davis	7-6	8
SOFT	May 2, 2002	#10 Fresno State	1-0	NR
BASE	May 1986		#10 Hawaii	12-5/10-6	12
WVB	Dec. 5, 1997	#10 Hawaii	3-0	21
WWP	Feb. 10, 2002	#11 Long Beach St.	7-6	10
MSOC	Sept. 30, 2001	#11 UCLA		1-0	NR
BASE	May 1986		#11 UCSB		14-6	12
WWP	Apr. 12, 2001	#12 UC San Diego	5-3	10
MWP	Sept. 28, 2002	#12 UCSB		10-6	10
MBB	Mar. 18, 1990	#13 Michigan	149-115 	17
BASE	May 1986		#13 UCLA		12-10	12
BASE	May 1986		#14 Pepperdine	14-9	12
WVB	Dec. 8, 1996	#14 UCSB		3-1	6

Note: Sports listed are those currently sponsored by LMU at the NCAA Division I level.