No. 20 SDSU water polo opened Gold Coast Conference play with a 12-11 heartbreaker, losing to No. 16 Loyola Marymount by one goal on Saturday, March 9 in Los Angeles.
The Aztecs were outscored 2-1 in the final 2:30 of the fourth quarter as SDSU suffered its third loss of the season to the Lions.
Sophomore Lauren Padilla — who scored the game’s opening goal — and LMU traded opening goals before seniors Lucia Carballo and Sydney Hurst scored back-to-back goals to put the Aztecs up 3-1. LMU closed the quarter with two of its own and scored four more goals in the second quarter despite Hurst and junior Danni Croteau each scoring to bring the halftime score to 7-5.