Behind smothering defense, the Loyola Marymount University women’s water polo team earned its second straight Golden Coast Conference title, 11th conference crown since 2001.
The third-seeded Lions captured the 2015 GCC Championship with a 9-5 victory over top seed and 16th-ranked San Diego State Saturday at Pacific’s Chris Kjeldsen Pool.
“Strong goal play and swarming defense has been a staple of LMU water polo for years, and it once again led us to a conference title,” said Head Coach Kyle Witt. “I am so proud of this group, they lived up to that tradition. That was our best defensive effort in a championship game in quite some time.”
All-Tournament Team goalkeeper Jordan White made eight saves and held opponents to just eight goals in the last eight quarters of the tournament. Ivana Castro and Laura Lopez each posted hat tricks for LMU, who concludes their season with their 11th conference title since 2001 and first back-to-back crowns since 2009-10.
“I have been saying it all week, our championship experience, led by our seniors, was huge for us,” said Witt. The Lions have played in 16 straight conference title games. “We remained composed through all three games and we ran our game plans very well. I am very proud of this team.”
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