FRESNO, Calif. – Scoring the first three goals of the game, the 21st-ranked and fifth-seeded Pacific women's water polo program came out of the gates hot but couldn't keep it going Saturday against eighth-ranked and top-seeded LMU in a 12-6 final in the semifinals of the Golden Coast Conference Tournament at the Fresno State Aquatics Center.
 
Pacific (11-10) led 3-0 and held LMU (22-4) scoreless midway through the first quarter when the Lions finally got on the board at the 3:35 mark. Unfortunately for the Tigers, it was the first of an 8-0 run for LMU to leap ahead in the first half.
 
A goal by junior Laia Marsinach Ortega before the half ended trimmed it to 8-4 at the intermission, but the Lions scored the first two goals of the second half to bump it up to 10-4 with 2:01 remaining in the third quarter.
 
Ortega, an All-Conference Second-Team performer, led the squad with two goals an assist. She was coming off a six-goal outing in the GCC quarterfinals to guide the Tigers to a 14-13 victory Friday over Cal Baptist.
 
Ortega was one of five Pacific student-athletes to score in the game. Junior Ella Cowan, junior Anna Crum, freshman Eleni Ikonomou and freshman Maria Ikonomou each found the back of the net once. Cowan and Eleni Ikonomou were All-Conference Honorable Mentions.
 
Junior goalkeeper Maja Lizy Dulic played all 32 minutes in net and made nine saves. She was coming off a season-high 12 saves in the win over CBU.
 
The Tigers are now 16-15 all-time against LMU and 8-5 in neutral site match-ups.
 
Pacific will play in the third-place game Sunday at 11 a.m. against third-seeded and 16th-ranked San Diego State. It will be the third year in a row that the Tigers and Aztecs play each other for third-place as Pacific won last year 16-9 but fell 12-8 in 2024.
 
Stay Social
For all the latest on Pacific women's water polo, be sure to follow the team on X (@UOPWaterPoloU), Instagram (@pacificwaterpolo) and "like" the team's official Facebook page (Pacific Women's Water Polo).
 
#PacificProud