Sept. 27, 2007

La Jolla, CA (Sept. 27) - After four straight setbacks by a single goal to their top rival, 10th-ranked Loyola Marymount men's water polo reversed the trend with a solid 9-4 win over 12th-ranked UC San Diego in front of 1,531 at Canyonview Pool in La Jolla Thursday night.

The Lions used a 5-1 advantage in the second half to break open a 3-3 tie for the win. The five-goal win is the first time a UCSD-LMU match-up was not decided by a one-goal margin since October of 2005. With the win, LMU improves to 5-6, while UCSD falls to 7-6.

LMU started and ended the game with big rushes. They opened with a 3-1 lead in the first quarter and after UCSD tied it at 3-3, Tim Hummel scored in the final possession of the half to give the Lions a 4-3 lead at the break.

Rory Kelly opened the second half with a goal to give LMU a 5-3 lead and it proved to be the game winner. UCSD would cut the lead to 5-4 but LMU would score the final four goals of the game. LMU would score with 4:07 and 1:45 remaining in the third before Andrew Aki and Mark Milovic would cap the scoring in the fourth quarter.

The Lions continue their stretch against teams in the top-20 when they travel to Mailibu to take on 5th-ranked Pepperdine and 8th-ranked UC Santa Barbara on Saturday. They face the Waves at 12 noon and then the Gauchos at 3 p.m.

- GO LIONS -