No. 5 Loyola Marymount cruises to tournament win over Chapman

ORANGE, Calif. - The Loyola Marymount University men's water polo team proved every bit deserving of the top-seed in this weekend's Western Water Polo Association championships this weekend. The Lions cruised to a 13-3 victory over host Chapman University at the Allred Aquatics Center on Friday and advanced to Saturday's semifinal round - two wins away from a third consecutive NCAA championships berth.

The nation's fifth-ranked Lions jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the first quarter and scored the game's first 12 goals en route to a 10-goal decision. Chapman (12-16) was shutout until 6:07 left in the fourth quarter at which point it trailed 12-0. Senior 2-M Austin McElvaney put the Panthers on the board with a goal and they would score twice more in the final period.

Loyola Marymount (17-7) juniors Daniel Smith and Tibor Forai paced the Lions offensively with three goals apiece, including two each in the first quarter. WWPA Player of the Year Andy Stevens made seven saves in goal for LMU before being pulled before the start of the fourth quarter.

National scoring leader Alex Mulé was limited to just one goal on 10 shot attempts for Chapman. Junior utility Matt Siordia also scored a goal for the Panthers. Freshman goalie Taylor Roszkos made 10 blocks on defense to limit the damage.

Chapman will face U.C. Davis in the second round of the championship tournament on Saturday at 11:45 a.m.

Box score: http://www.chapmanathletics.com/sports/mwaterpolo/2009-10/stats/WWPA_-_Game_3.pdf