This blog is written by Ray Ferrari, a sophomore Communication Studies major from Eugene, Ore. His weekly recap of LMU Athletics will be posted here every Monday allowing for a quick glance at the week that was in Lion Sports.

With winter sports slowly coming into full swing, a number of LMU fall teams are fighting for position as they wrap up their seasons.

The women's basketball team opened up their season last week with a big 88-58 win over The Master's College in an exhibition game. With new head coach Charity Elliott, the Lions are looking to get back on top after finishing in a tie for last place in the 2011-2012 season.

After five straight matches without a win, the men's soccer team got on a roll this weekend in the Northwest with a 2-1 win over Portland and a 3-1 win over Gonzaga. This marks the team's first win streak of the year and puts them tied for fifth place in the WCC with a respectable 11 points.

Women's soccer went down admirably on home turf in their final game of the season against No. 4 BYU. Playing as tough as ever in hopes of seeking an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, the Lions stayed with the now 18-1-1 Cougars for over 100 minutes before BYU came away with the 1-0 win in 2OT. LMU finished 3-5-0 in conference and 9-8-2 under first year head coach Michelle Meyers.

The Volleyball team split the weekend once again with a sweep of Portland at home Thursday before getting swept themselves at BYU on Saturday. At 6-7 in conference play, the Lions move to sixth place in the WCC, which now has four nationally ranked teams. 

Saturday seemed quite familiar for the men's water polo team. In their final home match of the year, the Lions were barely able to extend their win streak to three games with a victory over No. 13 Air Force. After blowing a big fourth quarter lead, LMU took it back with a game-winning goal in the final minute to win 9-8, just as they did the previous weekend against UC Davis. With one game left on the schedule, the Lions are now 10-2 in the WWPA. 

In their first double-dual meet of the season, the women's swim team hosted the University of Dan Diego and UC Davis Saturday morning. LMU defeated USD 154-108 but it was UC Davis that dominated both LMU and USD to win the day. The Lions only won four events, which included two by senior Camille Hopp, one from freshman Kristen Brennand, and a win in the 400 freestyle relay by the team of Hopp, sophomore Kjirsten Magnuson, senior Sophie Allen, and freshman Kristen Clarno.

This blog is written by Ray Ferrari, a sophomore Communication Studies major from Eugene, Ore. His weekly recap of LMU Athletics will be posted here every Monday allowing for a quick glance for the week that was in Lion Sports. 

The open to the 2012-13 LMU men's basketball season comes at a perfect time tomorrow with midterms mostly finished and the student body at the peak of their excitement in between two Halloween weekends. But let's talk about what has already happened in the wide world of LMU sports.

Lion water polo got back on track this week when the 11^th ranked men's team won both of its WWPA matches to improve to 9-2 in conference play. Friday, LMU scored the game-winning goal with nine seconds left to beat #16 UC Davis on the road. Saturday, the Lions won again on the road when they took down #19 Santa Clara 12-7.

Volleyball had a strong week as well, which began Thursday in Malibu when they took #23 Pepperdine to a fifth set before losing a close one. Pepperdine needed 32 points to win the first set and 28 to win the second set before LMU took back the third and fourth sets, which led to a close loss in the final deciding set. At home Saturday, the Lions took care of business against Gonzaga when they won 3-0 in a quick and efficient sweep.

After a strong season of races, the Lion cross country teams both took 5^th place at the WCC Championship meet in Portland, Ore. Leading the men was junior Weston Strum who finished seventh overall while the women's race saw senior Sharee Shea take third overall. The Lions will compete at the NCAA West Regionals in Seattle starting on November 9.

Men's soccer had their bye week the previous week and after 12 days without a match, the team came out slow on the road against WCC leader San Diego when they fell 2-0 on Wednesday. Sunday, the Lions ended a four-match losing streak when they drew a tie against San Francisco at home. This gave the Lions their fifth point and keeps them at sixth place in the conference.

The women's soccer team also saw a streak end but unfortunately this was not a good thing. After winning three games in a row, the Lions had a tough stay in the Northwest, losing to Gonzaga 2-0 on Friday and losing to Portland 2-0 on Sunday. Remaining with nine points, the women are now tied for fifth place in the WCC.

Continuing its start to the season, the swim team had another strong showing at the Malibu Invitational over the weekend. The LMU women won two of the three distance events and won 11 out of the 14 sprint and mid-distance events.

The LMU men's golf team wrapped up their fall season last week at the Bill Cullum Invitational at Wood Ranch Golf Club in Simi Valley, Calif. After three rounds of play, the Lions finished the tournament in ninth place.

This blog is written by Ray Ferrari, a sophomore Communication Studies major from Eugene, Ore. His weekly recap of LMU Athletics will be posted here every Monday allowing for a quick glance for the week that was in Lion Sports. 

Friday, one of the biggest nights every year in Lion Athletics occurred when LMU held its annual Madness at Midnight event. The night got fans excited for the upcoming basketball season, introducing everyone to the players of both the men's and women's teams. Players from both teams competed in a free throw contest, a three-point contest, as well as a dunk contest for some of the men. Along with showcasing the basketball talent, Madness was also an opportunity for the student body to see all of the school's Division I sports teams on display through dance competitions, which the softball team won. The night included food trucks and giveaways for students as well.

The women's soccer team had a huge weekend, earning six points through two conference victories. On Friday in Malibu, LMU destroyed then ranked #15 Pepperdine 3-0 getting all three goals in the first eleven minutes of play. Then at home Sunday, the Lions defeated San Francisco 1-0 after scoring 11 seconds into the first overtime period.

LMU Volleyball had an impressive weekend, also getting two much-needed wins. In the Northwest for the weekend, the Lions improved to 5-1 on the road this season as they swept Gonzaga Thursday and beat Portland in straight sets as well on Saturday.

An injury-filled men's water polo team continued to sink over the weekend, losing to two conference rivals. The #9 Lions had been on a roll with a seven-game winning streak before a series of setbacks led the Lions to drop matches to #1 USC a week ago and to #10 Long Beach St. and to #11 UC San Diego over the weekend.

In the final race before the WCC Championships, the men's and women's cross country teams sent four runners a piece to tune up at the Titan Invitational in Fullerton. The Lions did not have enough runners for the teams to place but will be in full force at the conference championship meet in Portland next weekend.

The men's tennis team competed at the ITA Regional tournament in Irvine over the weekend. Four Lions competed in singles and doubles events with the #7 seeded duo of Nicholas Bjerke and Sebastian Bustamante still alive in the doubles semifinals. In singles, Bjerke also advanced to the round of 16.

The women's tennis team was in San Diego for their ITA Regional tournament. April Bisharat and Reka Rohonyl both advanced to the round of 32 in singles competition while Kristine Kouyoumjian made it to the semifinals in the consolation bracket before the final two rounds were rained out.

The men's golf team went abroad last week for the Cabo Collegiate tournament in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. What was meant to be a three round event turned into only 18 holes of competition as day two could not be finished and day three never began due to rainy conditions. Tyler Torano's 72 was good for a tie for second place in the tournament with his back nine score of 33 good for the best nine-hole score in the event. The team finished in ninth place. 

This blog is written by Ray Ferrari, a sophomore Communication Studies major from Eugene, Ore. His weekly recap of LMU Athletics will be posted here every Monday allowing for a quick glance for the week that was in Lion Sports. 

Two weeks away from the WCC Championships, the LMU cross country teams continued to look fast over the weekend. Amongst a strong field at the Chile Pepper Festival race in Fayetteville, Ark., the women's team finished in fifth place and the men's team received fourth place.

After seven consecutive wins, the ninth-ranked men's water polo team was put to the test Saturday against #1 USC. The big home crowd helped the Lions to a 1-0 lead at the end of the first period but the talent and depth of the visiting Trojans proved too much to handle as the Lions eventually lost 13-6.

The volleyball team got back on track Thursday with a win in straight sets over visiting Santa Clara. After six straight home matches, the Lions then started their stretch of two weeks of road games. On Saturday, LMU fell to #13 San Diego in three games. The weekend split sent LMU to 2-5 in the WCC.

Considering they played against a team that had not lost the previous eight games in #18 Santa Clara, the women's soccer team performed quite well over the weekend. On the road against the Broncos, LMU barely lost 1-0 as a late goal held up for the home team despite more shots on goal and corner kicks by the Lions. Then at home Sunday, the team picked up its first conference win against Saint Mary's in an offense-heavy 3-2 match.

Continuing to struggle, the men's soccer team lost another pair of games during the week. After jumping to an early lead Wednesday against visiting San Diego, the Lions could not hang on and eventually lost 2-1 in the two overtime periods. At San Francisco on Friday, some defensive mishaps led to two USF goals, sending the Lions to an unexpected 1-4-1 start in WCC play. The Lions will receive a much needed bye week now before returning to play in San Diego on October 24.

The women's tennis team played well on the road when they traveled to Tennessee last week for the Memphis Invitational. On Friday, all six Lions won their singles matches against opponents from UT Martin but lost 1-2 in doubles matches against the University of Memphis. Saturday, LMU went 2-4 in singles matches against Memphis and swept Drake in three doubles matches.  And on Sunday, the Lions went 5-1 in singles matches against Drake to wrap up a successful weekend.

In their first competitions of the year, the women's swim team came out to a fast start as they earned a share of first place in the PCSC Relays Saturday and dominated the PCSC Pentathlon Sunday, which were both held at Biola University in La Mirada. Calif. 

This blog is written by Ray Ferrari, a sophomore Communication Studies major from Eugene, Ore. His weekly recap of LMU Athletics will be posted here every Monday allowing for a quick glance for the week that was in Lion Sports.

The ninth-ranked LMU men's water polo team won all four games at the Claremont Convergence tournament last weekend, extending its winning streak to a season-best of seven games. The tournament was a brief break from the tough schedule of ranked teams the Lions have been playing and was also a way to build confidence and momentum heading into a match with #1 USC at home this Saturday.

The men's soccer team split its first home weekend of conference games. Friday, the Lions defeated Gonzaga University 2-1 (2OT), giving the team three points and its first conference win. Against the University of Portland on Sunday, the Lions got out to an early lead but the visiting Pilots kept plugging away before coming away with a 2-1 win.

After a successful fall preseason, the women's soccer team opened up WCC play at home against the University of San Diego on Sunday. The Lions dominated the shot count at 15-5 but the only shot that mattered was San Diego's goal in the 64^th minute, which led to a 1-0 loss to the visiting Toreros.

Last week, the volleyball team continued its theme of getting hot early but failing to finish. Thursday, the Lions came out firing against visiting #16 BYU. But after winning the first two sets, BYU came out of the locker room determined, fighting back to win the next three sets and leaving with the victory. Saturday, LMU hosted Saint Mary's, a team the Lions defeated 3-0 in Moraga two weeks prior. However, the Lions could not do it again as the visiting Gaels won the match in four sets, dropping the Lions to a disappointing 1-4 conference record.

Both cross country teams continued their strong showings and fast finishes over the weekend. At the 20^th annual UC San Diego Triton Invitational, the women got their second team victory of the season, while the men received an impressive second place finish.

The women's tennis team had a very successful opening weekend as they competed at the Cal State Fullerton Fall Intercollegiate tournament for their first event of the fall. LMU sophomore Tory Parravi won the tournament for the top flight singles competition, with other Lions playing well also.

This blog is written by Ray Ferrari, a sophomore Communication Studies major from Eugene, Ore. His weekly recap of LMU Athletics will be posted here every Monday allowing for a quick glance for the week that was in Lion Sports.

It was another full weekend in the pool for the men's water polo team as the 10th-ranked Lions competed at the SoCal Tournament in Santa Barbara. On the first day, LMU fell to #7 Pepperdine before defeating #17 Santa Clara. This Saturday split led to games against #11 UC San Diego and #9 Long Beach St. on Sunday, two teams that had beaten the Lions earlier in the year. Despite this, LMU took down both opponents, earning a ninth place finish and improving to a 5-1 record in the WWPA.

 

The volleyball team continued to look sharp this weekend, but were unable to finish against conference rival and 16th-ranked San Diego Thursday. The Lions, who have beaten some top tier teams this season, took their confidence into the home match against the Toreros. LMU won the first set and looked as strong as ever. In the second and third sets, LMU had late leads but could not finish as San Diego went to 27 and 28 points respectively in order to win. San Diego finished it out in the fourth, making it a 1-3 loss for the Lions. Saturday, the Lions took care of business quickly, defeating CSU Bakersfield in straight sets. They are 9-6 overall and 1-2 in conference.

 

LMU women's soccer got back on track Sunday, earning their first victory in three weeks. The 3-2 win over Utah Valley improved the team's record to 6-3-2 overall. The strong preseason has the Lions feeling confident as they head into WCC play this weekend when they play San Diego at home this Sunday.

 

The men's soccer team opened up conference play on the road over the weekend. The trip started off strong as the Lions had the lead for most of the game on Friday at St. Mary's, the reigning WCC champions. However, a late goal led to an ending result of a 2-2 tie, giving the Lions one point. Sunday, LMU lost 1-0 to Santa Clara, sending the Lions to a 0-1-1 conference mark.

 

In their second tournament of the fall, the LMU golf team played at the Saint Mary's Invitational at the Bayonet and Black Horse Golf Course in Seaside, California. As one of the toughest courses the team will play all season, the Lions struggled on both days, finishing in 11th place out of 15 teams.

 

Both cross country teams competed in the Stanford Invitational Saturday. In races that featured many conference opponents, the women finished sixth out of 29 teams and first among WCC teams. The men also ran well, finishing seventh out of 29 teams and second among WCC opponents.

This blog is written by Ray Ferrari, a sophomore Communication Studies major from Eugene, Ore. His weekly recap of LMU Athletics will be posted here every Monday allowing for a quick glance for the week that was in Lion Sports.

Starting on the home front, the men's soccer team lost a tough battle with No. 7 UCLA. Despite the strong defensive showing, one goal was all the visiting Bruins needed as they earned the 1-0 victory and sent the Lions to 1-4-1 on the year.

 

Four men's tennis players competed at the Costa Mesa Pro Classic over the weekend. Sophomore Todd Volmari and junior Daniel Simko were bounced in the first round, while sophomores Felix van Kann and Othar Kordsachia advanced to the second round of qualifying play but no further.

 

At the NorCal Invitational hosted by Stanford University in Palo Alto, Calif., the men's water polo team played four ranked teams in less than 48 hours. They had close losses to No. 7 Pacific and No. 9 Long Beach State, but pulled out wins against No. 18 Concordia and No. 11 UC San Diego. The tournament split gave the Lions a 10^th-place finish.

 

Both LMU cross country teams competed at a conference preview race at Fernhill Park in Portland, Ore. The women ran to a second-place finish while the men finished fourth at the site that will hold the WCC Championships at the end of the season. Senior Sheree Shea finished with the fastest time among WCC female runners.

 

The women's soccer team visited Tucson, Ariz. this weekend for the Arizona Cats Classic. After a rough 3-0 loss to Arizona State, the Lions slightly salvaged the trip with a 0-0 tie against the University of Arizona, continuing to show they can play with anyone and advancing to 5-3-1 for the season.

 

The volleyball team kept their strong season going this weekend at the Golden Dome Invitational at Notre Dame University in South Bend, Ind. The Lions dropped a close match to the University of Kansas before defeating Xavier and the hosting Fighting Irish for a 2-1 finish that was good for second place.

 

The golf team opened their season at The McLaughlin tournament hosted by St. John's at Bethpage Golf Course in Farmingdale, New York. After three days of play at the Red Course, the Lions finished tied for eighth out of the 16-team field. Senior Bryan Bergna placed tied for fourth after repeatedly shooting under par.

The Lions just got back from a tough weekend on the road. The Lions fell short against both BYU and San Diego. Last Thursday, Brittany Jagger recorded her second double-digit save effort of the season, but it was not quite enough as the Lions fell 3-0 to WCC newcomer BYU in front of 2,700 fans. The Lions traveled back to LA and headed on a bus to San Diego for a match on Sunday. The Lions were tied 1-1 at halftime with the Toreros, but San Diego scored a goal in the last five minutes to win the game. This was the Lions 3rd consecutive loss, but are more than ready to finish strong at home for the last three games of the season.

Even with a jam-packed weekend of traveling to both Utah and San Diego, the Lions made time to participate in LMU's Midnight Madness. Midnight Madness is a school wide pep rally to kick off the basketball season. Throughout the rally each of LMU athletics teams danced to a mixture of songs that they put together and choreographed. Junior midfielder and theatre major Kimiko Miyashima choreographed the dance for the Lions. Below are some pictures from the event!




Hopefully we will be able to post their fun and funky dance that they preformed in front of 2,000 people! The dancing Lions are home for their final three matches of the 2011 season, beginning with WCC opponent Portland on Friday, Oct. 28th at 3pm and Santa Clara on Sunday, October 30th at 1pm to close out WCC play. The Lions will then host Seattle on Saturday, November 5th to close out the year. Come out and support the Lions this weekend as they finish up their conference games!

GO LIONS!

The Lions just got back from a tough weekend on the road. The Lions fell short against both BYU and San Diego. Last Thursday, Brittany Jagger recorded her second double-digit save effort of the season, but it was not quite enough as the Lions fell 3-0 to WCC newcomer BYU in front of 2,700 fans. The Lions traveled back to LA and headed on a bus to San Diego for a match on Sunday. The Lions were tied 1-1 at halftime with the Toreros, but San Diego scored a goal in the last five minutes to win the game. This was the Lions 3rd consecutive loss, but are more than ready to finish strong at home for the last three games of the season.

Even with a jam-packed weekend of traveling to both Utah and San Diego, the Lions made time to participate in LMU's Midnight Madness. Midnight Madness is a school wide pep rally to kick off the basketball season. Throughout the rally each of LMU athletics teams danced to a mixture of songs that they put together and choreographed. Junior midfielder and theatre major Kimiko Miyashima choreographed the dance for the Lions. Below are some pictures from the event!




Hopefully we will be able to post their fun and funky dance that they preformed in front of 2,000 people! The dancing Lions are home for their final three matches of the 2011 season, beginning with WCC opponent Portland on Friday, Oct. 28th at 3pm and Santa Clara on Sunday, October 30th at 1pm to close out WCC play. The Lions will then host Seattle on Saturday, November 5th to close out the year. Come out and support the Lions this weekend as they finish up their conference games!

GO LIONS!

 

On Friday, Darien Pyka and Brianne Medved each tallied goals as the LMU women's soccer team handed Saint Mary's its first home loss of the season in a 2-1 final in Moraga. The win moved LMU to 7-5-2 overall and 1-1-1 in WCC play, while also snapping a five-game winless streak. After the win the Lions had dinner at Senior defender Marissa Zamora's house in Danville, CA. Junior midfielder Cori McGovern was also able to stop by her house in Danville on the way to Marissa's home. She ran through her whole house, pet her dog, pet her cat and ran back in the van to head to Marissa's! It is always nice to go to a family's home when on the road. Thank you Zamora's for having the team!

On Sunday, Battling the No. 5 ranked team in the nation, the LMU women's soccer team put up a fight, but ultimately fell 2-0 to Pepperdine. The Lions move to 7-6-2 on the season and 1-2-1 in conference play. This was a special day for the Lions as it was their designated "Think Pink" game to honor Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The Lions wore pink uniform shorts, pink sweatbands, pink shoelaces and pink wristbands to show their support of the most common cancer for women. A lot of the players know someone directly who has been affected by cancer making this a very special way to honor their friends and family. Some players honored their loved ones by writing their names on their sweatbands with permanent marker. Below is a picture of Whitney Sharpe, Yiana Dimmit and Rachel Fell wearing their pink proudly.

After splitting the games this past weekend with a win and a loss, the Lions are looking to beat WCC newcomer BYU on Thursday and San Diego on Sunday. Both games are on the road, but the Lions will return home Friday, October 28^th vs. Santa Clara and Sunday, October 30^th vs. Portland. Make sure to follow the Lions this weekend and we hope to see you when the Lions come home to wrap up WCC play in two weeks!

GO LIONS!

The Lions traveled to USF on Friday night to open conference play. Above is a picture of the team doing some sight seeing at the Golden Gate Bridge. Unfortunately, a late second half push, capped by sophomore defender Etajha Gilmer, left the LMU women's soccer team just short in it's conference opener in a 2-1 final score. LMU found itself down 1-0 just four minutes into play. The Lions controlled the game outshooting the Dons 7-3 in the first half and 16-9 in the entire game. Going into the second half down 1-0, the Dons extended their lead to 2-0. The Lions continued to fight and Gilmer was able to send a ball in the back of the net off of Linda Bakker's corner kick with 5 minutes remaining in the game. LMU was able to get two more shots off before the final whistle. Bakker's shot went high and Brianne Medved's shot went right over the crossbar. This was a tough loss on the road for the Lions. They were eager to get back home to face the Gonzaga Bulldogs for their 100^th Anniversary Centennial Match.

Above is a photo of the Lions before their conference home opener against the Gonzaga Bulldogs. LMU athletics is celebrating their 100^th Anniversary this year and has designated a game for each sport to represent the celebration match. This past Sunday was the women's soccer team's Centennial Match. In LMU's third overtime game of the season, The Lions and Bulldogs battled to a 0-0 tie in 120 minutes of play. LMU moved to 6-5-2 on the season and 0-1-1 in WCC play, picking up their first conference point with the draw. Even though LMU lead the shot count again in this match 9-4, they were unable to capitalize on a goal. LMU goal keeper Brittany Jagger only had to make one save in the game.

Tawni Martino scored her team-leading fourth goal of the season, but UNLV snapped a tie eight minutes into overtime and the LMU women's soccer team fell 2-1 to the Rebels in its final game before opening WCC play next week.

The Lions headed to Las Vegas on Friday and was able to enjoy some team bonding on the Las Vegas Strip on Saturday for lunch. Sophomore transfer Deprise Brazel took some great pictures that you can see below. Deprise transferred from Davidson College in North Carolina. When she isn't on the soccer field she loves taking photos. She has even entered some of her photos into online contests. Next contest she enters I will post the link so you can vote!

As the 2011-12 Centennial Season continues for LMU athletics, the first week of October will be a fun one as it will be a week that features a Wells Fargo PCH Cup showdown on ESPNU on Wednesday and then is capped by a Centennial Game celebration on Sunday.

 

On Wednesday, Oct. 5, LMU women's volleyball will host rival Pepperdine in Gersten Pavilion at 6 p.m. The earlier start time is because ESPNU will be broadcasting the game nationally. The game will also be the second of the season in the Wells Fargo PCH Cup Series.

 

And to top it off, it's a big one in terms of the standings early in West Coast Conference play. LMU improved to 3-1 in the WCC with a sweep over Saint Mary's on Saturday and is tied for second. Pepperdine, ranked 19^th nationally, is at 3-0 in conference play.

 

Then on Sunday, Oct. 9 women's soccer will host Gonzaga at Sullivan Field for its 2011 Centennial Game. Start time of 1 p.m. It will be the Lions first conference game at home as they travel to San Francisco on Friday. The Centennial Celebration will offer special promotions, including a food give-away to the first 100 students. Follow the Lions on Facebook and Twitter to find out what the give-away will be.

 

It's all part of a busy week for LMU in conference play. Men's golf plays Monday and Tuesday up in Reno, Nevada, at the Wolf Pack Classic, taking on several WCC foes San Diego and Santa Clara in the process.

 

Then on Thursday, men's water polo returns home to face conference foe Whittier at the Burns Aquatics Center on Thursday at 3 p.m. 

 

Friday will feature more action at Gersten Pavilion as women's volleyball hosts a non-conference match with perennial NCAA tournament participant UC Santa Barbara at 7 p.m.

 

The action will conclude on Sunday with the Centennial game for women's soccer. All season the Lions will celebrate the 2011-12 Centennial Season with special Centennial games for each of its varsity programs. Men's water polo started the action with a standing-room only crowd of over 800 at the Burns Center in September, followed by women's volleyball with nearly a 1,000 against BYU last Thursday. Following women's soccer will be a pair of Centennial Races.

 

On Oct. 29 men and women's cross country will be at the WCC Championships and in the process the Lions will celebrate its 100 years at the races. Also that day, men's rowing will host UCLA at the Bove Boathouse for its Centennial Race.

 

Follow the Centennial all season at LMULions.com/LMUat100.

 

LMU came out of the gates as the aggressor against Cal State Northridge Friday at Sullivan Field. But despite unleashing four shots in the opening 13 minutes of play, and 10 for the balance of the game, the Lions could never find their mark, falling 3-0 to the Matadors. This was a tough loss for the Lions, but with a new addition, Mental Fitness Coach Katie Mckee, the Lions look to continue their win streak on the road as they head to UNLV this weekend. The lions have a clean record of 3-0-0 on the road. I sat down with Katie and asked her a few questions.

Gabby: Hi Katie! Can you tell our readers a little bit about yourself?

Katie: My name is Katie McKee, and I am a Mental Fitness Coach working with the team this year. I'm from Northern California, Danville specifically just like some of our players. I went to the University of Redlands. I graduated from Redlands in 2006 with my BA in Psychology and a Minor in Physical Education. I played 4 years of soccer and 1 year of softball at Redlands. I would have played 4 years of softball but I was injured and needed surgery the other years. Growing up I played every sport I could; soccer, softball, tennis, basketball, swim team.

Gabby: Shout out to Danville, CA! That is where I am from along with Cori McGovern and Marissa Zamora. Katie, the team seems to be responding well to you. What are some of the activities you have done with the girls thus far?

Katie: This year I'm working with the team as the Mental Fitness Coach. What that means is I'm mental teaching skills to help the team be able to perform at their best. Some of those skills include goal setting, ways to focus and what to focus on, helping maintain consistent confidence, breathing, etc. We've done some team activities this year also. We went to the Tide Pools as a team this year for some team bonding. We also did a team activity where everyone on the team, including the coaches, got a piece of a puzzle. Each person had to write on and/or decorate their piece with what motivates them or inspires them. It could be a picture, quote, song lyric, movie, etc. When they were done, we put the puzzle together, framed it, and it's hanging in the locker room. I did this with them because I believe a puzzle represents a team. Each of us are individuals on the team and bring something important to that team, and all the pieces have to be in place for it to be complete. If one piece were missing, we wouldn't be a team.

 

Gabby: Above is the picture of the puzzle. The puzzle is so unique and I know that the girls loved it. It was really cool how you included all of the coaches as well as the players. Do you have any specific goals for the lions this season?

Katie: Let's see. Some goals I have for the girls this season are to be able to look back on the season and know that they did all they could so they feel happy with themselves.  I would love for all the players and coaches to have also learned one or more mental skills throughout the course of the season so that they can carry that with them beyond the soccer field.

Gabby: Mental skills are very valuable whether you are on the soccer field or off so that is a very positive and important goal! Have you enjoyed working with the girls?

Katie: I absolutely love working with the team this year. It's great to be part of a college soccer team again. My favorite part is working with the team in a group or individual setting and to see what we work on make a difference for them. That's why I got into this profession, and if I can help at least one player or coach this year, it makes is so worth it!

Gabby: Thats awesome Katie! Now, can you give me three random facts about yourself?

Katie: This is probably the hardest question!! Ok. Elephants are my favorite animal. I've had 5 sports injury related surgeries. And...I'm a milk chocolate kind of girl!

Gabby: Thank you Katie! You are a huge asset to this team! For more information about Katie and her business, click here for Katie's Website.

Check back next week to see pictures and hear about the Lion's trip to Las Vegas after they face the UNLV Rebels for their last preseason match. You can follow the game on Sunday at 4pm by going on our website. Follow this link to gametracker: LMU vs. UNLV.

GO LIONS!

"What lies behind us and what lies beyond us are small matters compared to what lies within us. And when we bring what lies within us out into the world, miracles happen." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

Interview with Etajha Gilmer

 

This weekend the Lions lost in double overtime to Rutgers University on Friday. The girls did not take this loss lightly. The loss lit fire under their belts and the Lions took out their anger on CSU Bakersfield and won 3-0 on Sunday. Sophomore defender Etajha Gilmer scored for the Lions on Friday while Freshman Linda Bakker scored twice for the Lions on Sunday and Junior Cori McGovern had the third goal.

 

This week we looked at Sophomore Forward Tawni Martino's pre-game routine on Sunday vs. CSU Bakersfield. Every athlete has their own superstition and ways to get ready for games. Here is how Tawni Martino gets ready for hers...

Sunday September 4, 2011 LMU vs CSU Bakersfield

8:45 AM: Wake Up
9:00 AM: Team Breakfast in the coaches' offices. Breakfast included bagels, cereal, fruit and yummy chocolate milk.
10:01 AM: Walked to the training room.

10:13-10:59 AM: Had treatment and took an ice bath

11:00 AM: Walked to our brand new awesome locker room.
11:07 AM: Made my Facebook status and tweeted, "GAME DAY! GO LIONS! Rawrrr!"
11:15 AM: Listened to music with all the girls in the locker room
11:25 AM: Started putting on socks, cleats, shin guards, etc.
11:35 AM: Put my own headphones in and listened to music to get in the zone.
11:52 AM: Team ritual "clap"

11:55 AM: Coaches came in for team pre-game talk

12:12 PM: walk out to field for warm up

1:00 PM: GAME TIME!

Gabby: Do you have any superstitions or routines that you do prior to every game?

Tawni: I have a couple superstitions and routines that I do before every game. I always wear the same sliders for every game and I have this yellow sweatband that I always wear on my left arm. I also make sure to listen to my own music to "get in the zone" and once we step on the field, I do a special handshake with Tata (Etajha Gilmer).

Gabby: What is your favorite part about game day?

Tawni: I think my favorite part about game day is just the environment and enthusiasm from all of my teammates and the fans. I love stepping on the field ready to play some soccer.

Gabby: What time of music do you listen to before the game to get ready?

Tawni: Most of the time I listen to hip-hop, rap, and electronica music but sometimes I also listen to pop. Anything that can get me amped up or if it's popular right now I'll listen to it.

 

Thank you Tawni for letting us see your game day routine! The Lions will head to Fullerton at 7pm on Friday and will be home again Sunday vs SMU at 1pm. See you there!

GO LIONS!

 

The Lions beat Long Island University on Friday 3-0 with goals from Tawni Martino, Erin Rementer and Britney Sanford. On Sunday the Lions played 110 minutes, including two over times, and walked away with a 0-0 tie against Fresno State University. The defense was nothing but strong this weekend as they continue to shut out their opponents for the third game in a row. This weekend was the first weekend at home and they did not disappoint!

 

This week I chatted with Senior Forward Erin Rementer. She shared with me 20 things that you might not know about her...

 

20 things about me, Erin Rementer:

 

1.     I played for Leahi premiere Ho'okalakupua club in Hawaii.

2.     I have about 20 ducks in my backyard as pets.

3.     I hate Mayonnaise and I tell people that I am allergic to it.

4.     I love the Lakers.

5.     I am obsessed with Kobe Bryant.

6.     I am not a typical Asian driver. I am actually a very good driver.

7.     I want Strawberry shortcake to be my wedding cake.

8.     My favorite ice cream in mint chocolate chip.

9.     My favorite movie is Pride and Prejudice.

10. Traffic makes me grouchy.

11. My favorite soccer player is David Beckham.

12. I wish that Hawaii had In N Out Burger.

13. I love my 6-year-old nephew more than anything.

14. Benihanna is my favorite restaurant.

15. I have met Mia Hamm twice at an airport.

16. N*sync was my first concert.

17. I played basketball when I was eight years old...it didn't work out.

18.  Pineapple is my favorite fruit.

19. I won an art contest in 3^rd grade and every elementary school on my island was entered in the contest.

20. My role model is my Aunt Noreen because she recently had a stroke that paralyzed her, but she has one of the most positive outlooks on life and her recovery. It is truly inspirational.

I find it hard to believe that Erin is a good driver! This weekend Erin the

Lions are home again vs. Rutgers University (Friday at 4pm) and Cal State

Bakersfield (Sunday at 1pm). We would love to see you out there! The

energy in the stands is contagious!

GO LIONS!

Gabby Parisella class of 2011

This past weekend the Lions hooked the Longhorns and won their first game 3-1 at the University of Texas! They continued to shine on Sunday when they beat Texas State 1-0. The goal scorers of the weekend were Tawni Martino, Brittney Sanford, Darien Pyka and freshman Brianne Medved. Even though these girls put the goals away it was an entire team effort. I talked to the three Lion captains: Jaide Garcia, Brittney Sanford and Rachel Fell to see what they had to say about the winning weekend!

Gabby: How was starting off the season beating a top ranked opponent? (Texas was ranked #18 going into the game on Friday).

Jaide:  Starting off with a big win is exactly what our team needed to get our season going. We have worked really hard this month and the two wins solidified our confidence for the games ahead. We really proved our potential this weekend so now we just have to focus on capitalizing on it. We are determined to make the NCAA tournament this year and we are off to the best possible start!

Gabby: How is the team chemistry after the road trip to Texas?

Jaide: The team chemistry has been great this season and this trip made it better. We are missing  Whitney but she has kept in great touch with us via texting. The games brought the team together because all 23 players were needed to keep the energy up to get our wins. We learned how to rely on each other this weekend and were able to show the 8 new members what being a lion is all about!

Gabby: How important was not only beating the Longhorns, but beating Texas State for the weekend sweep on the road?

Rachel: Bringing home two wins this weekend is massive for us. With no pre season games to prepare us we went into this weekend inexperienced compared to both teams. We have very few away games so to capitalize on these is a great way for us to get ahead.

Gabby: What was your favorite part of the trip?

Rachel: My favorite part of the trip was the experience we had at the University of Texas. We were lucky enough to have been given a tour of their football stadium and behind their facilities. For me, who has never seen the football side of college athletics, it was a great experience.,,one that many do not get to see. From the huge stadium to the marble flooring and Heisman Trophy collection, it didn't take long to feel the high end of college football. Then later that day we played a hard fought game that all 23 players came together for a historic win. It was a great day in all.

Gabby: Brittney, What were your feelings going into the penalty kick knowing that if you scored, your team would take the lead against the University of Texas? Did you have a specific approach?

Brittney: My feelings stepping into take the PK was a mixture of nervousness as well as confidence. I believe that PKs are just as much mental as they are skillful. I couldn't think about the repercussions of this penalty kick if I missed. Instead, I went into the PK knowing that I was going to make it. I stared at the keepers eyes while running toward the goal and I struck the ball as hard as I could to the left side of the net. I will never forget it.

Gabby:  Do you have any funny stories from the trip?

Brittney: A few of our teammates thought it would be funny to steal Ojo, Whitney Sharpe's stuffed bear. Whitney was unable to attend the trip because of transfer rules with the NCAA. We were going to miss Whitney and we needed someone to take her place. We ended up treating Ojo like a part of the team. We documented his trip with us. He did things like eat pizza, pick up baggage, hydrate etc. We ended up taking several comedic pictures which gave us all a good laugh...except for whit of course! Sorry we aren't sorry whit! (pictures of Ojo below)

Sounds like an amazing weekend filled with great team chemistry, great soccer and a 2-0-0 record! I don't know if you are as superstitious as I am, but it seems to me that Ojo needs to make an appearance at every home game, get his own plane ticket and own seat on the bus for every road trip!

Hopefully we will see YOU and Ojo at the Lions first home game this Friday at 4pm vs. Long Island University!

GO LIONS!

Gabby Parisella Class of 2011

Editor's Note: This is a blog from LMU Athletics Director Dr. William Husak, who will be blogging throughout the 2011-12 season. Here are his first thoughts of the season.

Women's soccer was previewed in the South Bay Daily Breeze. Check out the story at:Daily Breeze Sports

Every week I will be writing a blog giving all of you LMU soccer fans an update on how the girls are doing. So far, the Lions have just wrapped up double days! Double days consisted of fitness testing, 11 v. 11 scrimmages and weight lifting. They are looking great and ready to start the season!

Off the field the lions have done a lot as a team. Along with having team dinners every night, Coach Joe and his family hosted the team at his house for dinner and after dinner the lions surprised a South Bay Force club team at their team party! The Lions answered questions about work ethic, academics and bouncing back from tough losses. The team also went to tide pools in Palos Verdes for some team bonding. The girls hiked down to the tide pools and found a lot of different sea creatures. A lot of girls did not mind touching them, but there were a lot of that would not go near them!

The team is now ready for season to kick off! The lions will leave Thursday to take on the University of Texas (Friday) and Texas State(Sunday)! The Lions will return HOME on Friday, August 26th at 4pm vs Long Island University. We would love to see you there for the 2011 season home opener!

The Lions look forward to your support! Look for an update on how they are doing every week!

GO LIONS!

Welcome to the LMU Lions Blog!