Men's water polo posted a 3-0 record at the first of two conference crossover weekends in the Missouri Valley Division September 12-13 at the Saint Louis University Natatorium in St. Louis, Mo.
 
The Lions started their season with a 20-7 victory over the University of Missouri on Saturday afternoon.  Nine Lindenwood players contributed to the scoring attack, led by Alvaro Castro with six goals.  Javier Platero and Weston White each hit the back of the cage three times, while Jesse Frazier and Brian Kaestner added two goals each.  Alex Beltrol, Diego Aldea, Aleksander Cukic, and Marc Tahall added single tallies.  Netminder Mario Caballero was given Most Valuable Player honors for the game after he stopped 16 shots, then added five steals, and three assists on offense.
 
In the second game of the weekend Sunday morning, the Lions shutout Missouri S & T 12-0.  Aldea and Beltrol paced the offense with four goals each while Castro and Frazier added two each.  Cukic and Tahall found the back of the net once, and Caballero earned another win with six saves.
 
Later that afternoon, Lindenwood completed the weekend sweep with a solid 22-8 win over Washington University.  Using a balanced attack once again, eight different Lions contributed goals in the victory, led by Platero and Castro with five each.  Aldea, Cukic, and Frazier scored three goals each, with Kaestner, Waston White, and Andrew Rabe adding single tallies.  Caballero picked up his third win in the cage with 11 saves, while adding three assists.
 
The Lions returned 11 players from the 2014 National Championship team, including:  Diego Aldea, Alex Beltrol, Mario Caballero, Alvaro Castro, Aleksander Cukic, Jesse Frazier, Brian Kaestner, Javier Platero, Andrew Rabe, Toni Storic, and Weston White.  Jordan Stacks and Marc Tahall were new additions to the team this fall.
 
After starting 3-0 on the young season, Lindenwood gets a few weeks off before returning to competition on October 3 in Monmouth, Ill.  The Lions will face Salem International University at 11:30 a.m. Saturday morning, followed by Mercyhurst University at 2:30 p.m.
 
The Lindenwood B squad also played three games as part of the Missouri Valley Division conference crossover, posting a 2-1 record.
 
The Lions faced Missouri S & T on Saturday and came away with an 18-3 win.  Samuel Beckwith had 11 saves to earn the victory in goal, including a great effort on a penalty shot.  Enrique Donsel led the offense with seven goals, followed by Jordan Stacks, and Jarod Lawson with four.  Jacob Jagodzinski, Bret Lundstrum, and Michael Jordan each scored once each.
 
In the second game of the weekend for the B squad, Lindenwood swam away from Truman State with a 21-4 victory.  Donsel once again led the team with five goals, while Jagodzinski, Lundstrum, and Curro Casado each added four.  Edwardo Ariste scored twice, and Jordan and Lawson added single tallies.  Beckwith had 10 saves to earn his second win of the weekend.
 
In the final game of the weekend, the B squad fell 12-6 to Saint Louis University in a tough physical battle that saw a combined 25 exclusions between the two teams.  The Billiken defense managed to hold the Lions offense in check.  Lundstrum and Lawson led the attack with two goals each, and Casado and Jagodzinski each posted single goals.  Beckwith had seven saves in the losing effort.
 
Players returning to the Lindenwood B squad from 2014 include:  Samuel Beckwith, Colin Boland, Michael Jordan, Bret Lundstrum, and Tyler Sanfillippo.  Newcomers include:  Edwardo Ariste, Chase Asberry, Curro Casado, Enrique Donsel, Jacob Jagodzinski, Jarod Lawson, and Ricardo Pastone.