Lions Advance to GCC Championships behind Seven Goals from Yanah Gerber

LOS ANGELES – The rematch is set as LMU Women’s Water Polo advances to the Golden Coast Conference Championship Game after defeating San Diego State, 16-10, on Saturday night in the semifinals. The top-seeded Lions will face Fresno State Sunday at 1:00 PM in a rematch of last year’s title game which went to overtime.
 
Ruth Arino Ruiz opened the scoring on LMU’s first possession, but the Aztecs provided an answer to even the score at 1-1 less than a minute into play. Sophia DeMattia scored back-to-back goals to push LMU’s lead to 3-1. The two sides split the final three goals of the first quarter as senior captains Arino Ruiz and Yanah Gerber twice gave the Lions a 6-4 lead. 
 
A second quarter penalty goal by Carolina Magano gave LMU a 7-4 advantage. After San Diego State pulled back within two Gerber scored her third of the game to give LMU a 8-5 lead heading into the half.
 
The Aztecs scored the first three goals of the second half to tie the score at 8-all, forcing an LMU timeout. The Lions responded with the final three goals of the third as again Arino Ruiz scored one and Gerber added two more to bring the lead back to three.
 
Less than three minutes into the fourth quarter, Gerber scored her sixth and seventh goals of the game to push the Lions ahead 13-9. Mikayla Lopez, Skye Nankervis, and Lily Larson pushed the lead to seven in the final two minutes of the game. San Diego State scored one late to give the Lions a 16-10 lead and a return to the Championship Game.
 
Alyssa Barnuevo made 11 saves in the cage and added two assists and a steal. 
 
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With the win, the Lions advance to the finals and will face Fresno State back at the Burns Aquatics Center at 1:00 PM.
 
Tickets to the 2025 GCC Women’s Water Polo Championship are available in advance of the tournament online through the LMU Ticket Office or by calling 310-338-5466. Once games begin, tickets will also be available for purchase on site at the entry gate to the Burns Aquatics Center.   

 

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