Palo Alto, Calif. - The No.12 Pacific women's water polo team split Sunday at the Stanford Invitational as Ellen Tiedemann's second career hat trick led to a 5-4 win over No. 15 Loyola Marymount. The Tigers also fell to No. 10 UC Irvine, 11-6.
Viktoria Szmodics scored twice vs UC Irvine, once vs LMU, while Karolina Hlavata scored one against UC Irvine and the fourth-quarter game-winner against LMU.
Brinnley Barthels, Rachel Krieger and Megan Torre also added goals for the Tigers.
Pacific prevailed in a low-scoring affair with the LMU Lion as Tiedemann scored three times. She opened the scoring just 42 seconds in, but the defense amped up from there as the Tigers led 1-0 after one quarter. Ivana Castro evened the score for LMU early in the second, and the Lions took a 2-1 lead on a goal from Erin Byrne. Tiedemann tallied again, off an assist by Szmodics on a 6-on-5, but Castro's power play goal game LMU a 3-2 lead at the half.
Hana Vilanova gave LMU a two-goal lead, but Tiedemann capped her hat trick, and Szmodics scored with a 6-on-5 advantage to even the score at 4-4 headed into the fourth.
Pacific drew an exclusion with 1:44 left, and after a save from LMU keeper Sky Flores, Szmodics picked up a steal and set up Hlavata for the go-ahead goal with 48 seconds left.
Alexis Hollinrake posted 10 saves in the Pacific cage, while Flores made 16 saves in goal for Loyola Marymount.
Against UC Irvine, Szmodics scored twice, while Barthels, Hlavata, Krieger and Torre also scored.
Krieger tallied first, but Destene Albers responded for the Anteaters before UC Irvine took a 2-1 lead on a power-play goal from Emily Carlson. Torre tied the game at 2-2 for Pacific off an assist from Szmodics as the game was even after one quarter. Irvine scored the only goals of the second quarter, by Gabby Pierandozzi and Corinna Toledo to carry a 4-2 lead into halftime.
Carlson's second stretched the UCI lead to 5-2, before Kriger set up Szmodics for a 6-on-5 goal. Szmodics then scored to bring the Tigers within 5-4 with 4:35 to go in the third, but Keana Eldridge answered back to give the Anteaters a 6-4 lead and the Tigers would get no closer.
In the fourth, Brinnley Barthels cut the deficit to 9-5 and Karolina Hlavata capped a power play with a goal to settle on the final margin.
Meghan Nee made eight saves in goal for Pacific, while Jenna Phreaner posted eight for the Anteaters.
Pacific is now 4-8 on the season, and will head to the UC Davis Shootout on February 20-21 for games against No. 5 Cal and No. 24 CSU Bakersfield.
