Baldineti Scores 14 as Lions Once Again Battle With Top-Ranked ...
LOS ANGELES – LMU men's water polo may not have secured a victory in the WCC – Big West Challenge, but the 15th-ranked Lions proved again on Saturday that they can play with anyone in the country. LMU dropped a pair of games, falling to #5 Pacific, 13-11, and then closing the day with a 16-12 loss to UC Santa Barbara. Tommaso Baldineti scored 14 goals in two games, including 10 in the final game against the Gauchos.
GAME 1: #5 Pacific 13, #15 LMU 11
The Lions jumped ahead 3-0 with goals from Caden Carpenter on an opening-minute penalty and then back-to-back from Tommaso Baldineti. The Tigers scored one late in the period for a 3-1 game after one.
After Pacific cut their deficit in half, Carpenter again scored to double the advantage. The Tigers cut it down to a one-goal game once again, but LMU had answers courtesy of a goal from Bence Barics to beat the halftime whistle.
The Tigers pulled with one to open the third before Baldineti and Abel Romero Corbalan built up a 7-4 lead with 5:18 on the clock. Pacific scored two in their own before Baldineti converted another penalty to bring the score to 8-6. The visitors pulled within one entering the fourth.
After the game was tied in the opening minute of the fourth, Barics pushed LMU back ahead on the ensuing possession. Pacific retook the lead 10-9 before Richie Rimlinger evened the score at 10-10 with just over five minutes remaining. The Tigers scored the next two, and even with a penalty goal from Romero Corbalan with 49 seconds showing on the clock, the Lions were unable to even the score a final time.
Stelios Dalmaras made 13 saves in the cage.
GAME 2: #13 UCSB 16, #15 LMU 12
For the first time all tournament, it was the visitors who took a first quarter lead. Tommaso Baldineti opened the scoring before the Gauchos answered with the next two. After Nick Leung equalized the score at 2-2. UCSB then rattled off two more before Baldineti ended the run with back-to-back goals. The Gauchos scored a go-ahead goal in the final 30 seconds of the quarter.
UCSB started the second with five of the first six goals of the period, with only Baldineti's powerplay finish breaking up the run. Caden Poulleau scored in the final 40 seconds, but UCSB had another answer with a goal before the half to make it an 11-6 game at the intermission.
Baldineti opened the second half scoring, but it was answered with the next two by UCSB. Baldineti scored again in the quarter to bring the score to 13-8.
Baldineti accounted for all four LMU goals of the fourth quarter to finish with 10 goals on 13 shots.
Finn Friedland made eight first half saves. Stelios Dalmaras made one save and only allowed five goals after halftime. Both goalkeepers recorded a steal.
UP NEXT:
LMU will play at UC San Diego for a road trip in La Jolla on Wednesday night and then at UCLA over the weekend.
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