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LOS ANGELES – For the third time in program history, Loyola Marymount is winners of the Golden Coast Conference tournament title, earning the 2025 championship with a 14-12 win over Fresno State at the Burns Aquatics Center Sunday afternoon.
The ninth-ranked and top-seed Lions win their third tournament title, adding to the titles they won in 2014 and 2015, the first two seasons of the league. The Lions earn the GCC’s automatic bid to the National Collegiate Women’s Water Polo Championship May 9-11 at IU Natatorium on the campus of IUPUI in Indianapolis, Indiana.
This was the third meeting in the last four years between Fresno State and LMU, with the Lions knocking off the four-time defending champs. The Bulldogs won the title from 2021-24.
Loyola Marymount's Anna Tarantino and Ruth Arino Ruiz each tallied three goals. Other notable contributors included Yanah Gerber, Skye Nankervis, and Carolina Magano, each scoring multiple goals, showcasing the Lions' balanced attack. Goalie Alyssa Barnuevo made 10 saves against the potent Bulldogs’ offense.
Arino Ruiz, Gerber and Barnuevo were named to the GCC All-Tournament team with Arino Ruiz earning MVP honors.
The second seed and eighth-ranked Bulldogs were led by Abbey Simshauser with five goals. Brooke Ochoa contributed three goals, while Hailey Andress, Marit van der Kolk, Caitlyn Mossman, and Kira Anderson each found the back of the net.
Ochoa and Simshauser were named to the GCC All-Tournament team. Joining them were Dora Alaksza (Pacific), Mimi Stoupas (San Diego State) and Jaeden Johnson (Azusa Pacific).
The Lions scored the game’s first three goals and led 4-1 after Arino Ruiz scored with 2:02 to play in opening quarter. The Bulldogs answered with a three-goal run of their own to tie it at 4-4 with an Ochoa tally just over two minutes into the second quarter.
LMU then closed the half with five straight goals to take a 9-4 lead going into the break. They would not trail again. But Fresno State would not go away.
Trailing 12-9, Fresno State scored two straight to cut the lead to just one, 12-11, on a Simshauser goal with 4:09 to play. On the next possession, Gerber answered to push the lead back to 13-11.
Fresno State wasn’t done, as Ochoa cut the lead to one again, 13-12, with 2:53 to play. Then with just under a minute to play, Magano delivered the dagger, making it 14-12 and securing the title.
THIRD PLACE RECAP
Game 9: No. 3 Pacific 16, No. 4 San Diego State 9
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In the third-place matchup at Burns Aquatics Center in Los Angeles, No. 21 Pacific triumphed over No. 22 San Diego State, 16-9. The game showcased a strong offensive performance from the Tigers, who dominated early on, outscoring the Aztecs in every quarter except the third.
The first period saw Pacific take a commanding lead, outscoring SDSU 6-2. Alicia Petkov and Dora Alaksza scored four goals each for Pacific. Mimi Stoupas led San Diego State with four goals.
Pacific led 11-5 at the break, and after an even third quarter, the Tigers pitched a fourth quarter shutout for the win. The Tigers' goalkeeper Maja Lizy Dulic made seven saves, contributing significantly to the team's success.