Seniors Show Up Big For LMU

Thursday, October 26

Riverside, Calif.

7:00 PM

California Baptist University

Loyola Marymount

Photo by: Conner Schuh

Seniors Show Up Big For LMU

10/26/2017 10:43:00 PM | Men's Water Polo

By: Andrew Shortall, Asst. Sports Information Director

RIVERSIDE, Calif. – Senior Day brought out the best in California Baptist University, as the 17^th-ranked Lancers got out to one of their best starts of the season and kept it going for a 13-5 Western Water Polo Association victory over Loyola Marymount on Thursday.

"It was probably the most complete game of the season," Coach Kevin Rosa said. "I don't think we had a lull the entire game, and the offense was balanced. Everyone got a little piece of the pie, so that was nice."

CBU improves to 18-12 and 2-3 in the WWPA, with two more games left before the conference tournament. The Lancers travel to the Air Force Academy on Saturday at 11 a.m. and then visit Concordia next Thursday, Nov. 2 for a 1:30 p.m. contest.

"We need momentum right now," Rosa said. "We learned a lot from last week and played a really good game, so hopefully that momentum goes to the end of the season, now's when we need to be playing our best."

Thomas Henline headlined the performance from the Lancers' five seniors with three goals and two assists. Fellow senior Jonny Lotero scored twice, while Caleb Rogers also added two assists. Sophomore Dominick Nevarez and junior Kyle Christian chipped two goals and an assist apiece at the Lancer Aquatics Center.

"It's great to come out here with my guys and play our last game together, especially a game like that where we played really well," Henline said. "It's been a great four-and-a-half years and I wouldn't have wanted to play anywhere else."

Goalie Gabe Thorne logged 10 saves and a steal before giving way to senior keeper JP Syfacunda. Christian also forced two turnovers for the Lancers, who also received two goals from Logan Mena.

"It's kind of dysphoria, the road here took a long time, but now that it's here I can't believe it's almost over," Rogers said. "It's so fun playing here and it's bittersweet that it's over. I like showing out for Senior Night, it was good showing them what we got."

Christian scored 20 seconds into the game on an assist from Rogers, and CBU never looked back. Henline, Lotero and Mena would score over the next five-and-a-half minutes to up the Lancers' lead to 4-0 before LMU could get on the board.

A goal from Joseph Galgani off a pass from Nevarez helped make it 5-2 CBU at the end of the first quarter. The Lancers kept scoring and ran their lead as high as eight goals, 10-2, with 5:50 to play in the third quarter, after two goals from Henline and one each from Lotero, Christian Britton and Nevarez.

Mena, Nevarez and Christian would all score once more before the game was over to pad CBU's lead to 13-4 with 6:36 left in the game, before finishing the game with the 13-5 score.

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