by Damien Alarcon
Sports Editor
Loyola Marymount handed the women’s water polo team its fifth consecutive loss Saturday in Westchester, Calif., 15-3. The Leopards move, winless, to 0-5 overall.
“We were doing well in the beginning, but then in the second quarter, we started to fall apart,” said freshman Andrea Griffith, who scored a goal from her set position.
Loyola (3-4 overall) did not hesitate, taking a 3-0 lead with goals from Caroline Guidi, Meredith Bellotti and Danielle Worrill. La Verne bounced back as Griffith scored with three minutes left in the quarter. Freshman Allison Alastuey also added a goal immediately after with two minutes left, closing the gap to 3-2.
That was the closest the score was between the two teams. The Lions answered back with two goals in the last minute of the first quarter and from then on, Loyola held complete control of the game.
For the Lions, Lucy Windes and Bellotti had the team and game high with three goals each. Orla Stewart and Worrill had two. The final goal for the Leopards came from freshman Summer Hammons late in the second quarter.
“We are a first year team, we are learning a lot and we need to do better in the future,” said junior Amber Reed. Reed and senior Liz Rodarte are the only upperclassmen on the squad. In its inaugural season, the team consists of 10 freshmen.
All of the team’s losses have come from Division I teams. The team has yet to begin Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play.
The first non-Division I opponent for the Leopards comes tomorrow at 11 a.m., when the team plays in its first home game against Chapman University at Las Flores Park.
