Men's water polo swept all three games played October 26-27 to win the Missouri Valley Division Championship. The Lions posted a win against Missouri and versus Washington University on Saturday and followed with another victory against Saint Louis University on Sunday at the St. Peters Rec-Plex in St. Peters, Mo.
In the first game of the weekend, Lindenwood controlled the Tigers from the start, building a 5-0 lead in the first period. That trend continued through the second and the Lions had Missouri shutout 10-0 heading into the third period. The Tigers broke the shutout, but couldn't mount any type of measurable comeback as Lindenwood finished with a 24-5 win. Captain Toni Storic lead the Lions with six goals while Alvaro Castro added five.
In the second game of the day on Saturday, Lindenwood swam to a decisive 22-8 win against Washington University. The Lions again were quick starters, opening an 8-3 lead in the first quarter. That lead expanded to 13-6 by the end of the second and to 19-7 by the end of the third. Storic again led the Lindenwood offense with five goals while Castro added four.
The championship game on Sunday was a match-up against Saint Louis University, a team that had played the Lions close in the first Conference Crossover of the season back in September, but it was a different story this time. For the third time in as many games, Lindenwood raced to an early lead. The score was 7-1 after the first period and expanded to 15-5 by the end of the second. The Billikens just about played the Lions even the final two periods, but were never able to make a dent in the lead. The final score was 21-12. Storic and Javier Platero each scored five times for Lindenwood.
With the three victories, the Lions improved to 15-5 overall and finished with a perfect conference record. The division title also earned a berth in the Collegiate Water Polo Association Division I Collegiate Club Championship. Competition begins November 8 in San Diego, Calif. Lindenwood finished seventh at the event in 2012.
