Roster    Schedule    Stats    Archives

Aug. 17, 2009

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- The LMU men's water polo program has won six Western Water Polo Association championships the last eight years, including back-to-back titles heading into the 2009 season. To win their third straight and seventh in the last nine years, the Lions will once again have to do it against a tough schedule.

The 2009 men's water polo schedule will feature seven home games, three regular season tournaments and all told 10 of their 12 head-to-head match-ups against teams who finished the 2008 season ranked in the top-20 nationally.

LMU will start their season the same way they have the last 11 years, traveling to La Jolla for the UC San Diego Triton Invitational on Sept. 5-6. The Lions will return to campus for their home opener against WWPA foe Whittier on Sept. 12 at 10:30 a.m.

The following week the Lions will play in their second tournament of the season, the annual Nor Cal Invitational. Featuring the top-16 teams in the nation, the Lions will play four ranked teams in the tournament held at Stanford on Sept. 19-20. The Lions placed sixth in last year's tournament, equalling their best finish within the loaded field.

It won't get any easier as they will travel to their top rival, WWPA foe UC San Diego. The annual battle under the lights has turned into one of the fiercest rivalries in college water polo as the tournament WWPA heavyweights will play on Thursday, Sept. 24 at 6 p.m.

Long Beach State and WWPA foe UC Davis will give the Lions back-to-back Saturday home games, with the 49ers, who finished ranked ninth last year, on Sept. 26 at 12 p.m., followed by the Aggies, who finished 12th, on Oct. 3 at 1 p.m.

LMU will then play in their final tournament of the regular season, the SoCal Invitational. Like the NorCal Invite, the SoCal will feature the 16 best teams in the nation and it will be held at Irvine, Calif., on Oct. 10-11.

The Lions will then host back-to-back Thursday home games, starting with WWPA foe Claremont on Oct. 15. The following Thursday the Lions will host No. 4 UCLA on Oct. 22 at 3 p.m. October will finish with a road date at defending national champion USC on Oct. 24 followed a week later at home a rematch against UC San DIego on Oct. 31.

The regular season will conclude with WWPA foe Santa Clara at home on Nov. 6, a doubleheader at Chapman on Nov. 7 against Chapman and Air Force, and then the final regular season game of the season at Long Beach State on Nov. 12.

The 2009 WWPA Championships will be held Nov. 20-22 and hosted by Chapman in Orange, Calif. The NCAA Championship will be held Dec. 5-6 at Princeton.

Follow the Lions all season online at www.LMULions.com. You can also get instant updates through Twitter at www.Twitter.com/LMULions or on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/LMULions.

- GO LIONS -