MWP | Gaels Battle to the Final Buzzer in 12-10 Loss to No. 11 LMU in WCC Opener

Friday, October 9

Moraga, CA

6:30 PM

Saint Mary's College of California

LMU

Box Score

Photo by: Saint Mary's Athletics / Tod Fierner

MWP | Gaels Battle to the Final Buzzer in 12-10 Loss to No. 11 LMU in WCC Opener

10/9/2026 9:39:00 PM | Men's Water Polo

MORAGA, Calif. — The No. 20 Saint Mary's men's water polo team opened West Coast Conference play with a nail-biter against No. 11 LMU, battling down to the final horn and ultimately falling 12-10 in a tightly contested matchup.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Lions got the scoring started, but the Gaels responded shortly after as Donovan Swann scored off of a pass from Jacob Carlson. LMU went on to take a 3-1 lead at the end of the first quarter. Nicholas Valente opened the scoring in the second quarter for Saint Mary's, converting off of a pass from Mason Black. Hamish Ellison followed with a goal of his own off of an assist from Leo Hachem. Both teams added two goals in the second quarter, sending LMU into halftime with a narrow 5-3 lead.

The Gaels came out firing in the second half, as Mason Black found the back of the net off of another assist from Hachem, cutting the Lions' lead to just one goal at 5-4. However, the Lions answered with four unanswered goals of their own in the third quarter to take a 9-4 lead into the final eight minutes of action. Saint Mary's refused to go down without a fight, battling back with six goals in the final quarter. Ellison, Hachem, Carlson, and Swann each found the back of the net, while Mason Black added two goals of his own to earn a hat trick. Despite the late offensive surge, the Lions added three goals to hold off the Gaels and secure the 12-10 victory. In goal, Federico Castrucci finished with six saves and a steal for the Gaels.

GAME NOTES

Mason Black scored in his fourth consecutive match, recording his fourth hat trick of the season and adding two assists. Black now has 21 goals on the season, the second most on the team.
Donovan Swann recorded his fourth two-goal performance of the season, while Hamish Ellison added two goals and two assists.
Jacob Carlson led the Gaels with three assists, adding one goal and a steal.
Leo Hachem made an impact across the board, recording a goal, two assists, five drawn exclusions, and a team-high three steals. His five drawn exclusions were one shy of the team-high mark of six, set by both Noah Bigara and Hamish Ellison this year. Hachem also now leads Saint Mary's with 30 goals on the season.
Federico Castrucci finished with six saves and one steal in goal.

LOOKING AHEAD

The Gaels will be back in action next week for a pair of home games. Saint Mary's will host Air Force on Friday, October 16 at 6:30 p.m. before taking on Pacific on Saturday, October 17 at 1:00 p.m.

Be sure to follow your Gaels on Facebook, Instagram, and X to get all the latest Saint Mary's athletics updates and information.

#GaelsRise