The No. 20 University of Redlands men's water polo team
dropped a 12-15 decision to the No. 14 U.S. Air Force Academy (CO)
on Saturday before defeating Chapman University, 12-9, in the
seventh-place game of the Western Water Polo Association (WWPA)
Championships on Sunday in Orange.
Following a heartbreaking 13-14 overtime loss to No. 10 UC San
Diego on Friday, the Bulldogs regrouped and set out to finish their
season on a high note.
Air Force, which had lost its first-round match-up against Whittier
College, overcame an eight-goal outburst by senior center Ryan
Floersch (San Jose, CA) to come out victorious.
Redlands led, 10-9, heading into the fourth quarter, but the
Falcons netted six in the final stanza to pull away.
Floersch's eight goals served as the game high while senior
central defender John Floersch (San Jose, CA) added a pair of
scores. In addition, senior driver Erik Grosshans (Oxnard, CA) and
junior center Miran Terzic (Mostar, Bosna i Hercegovina) each found
the back of the cage once.
In between the posts for the Bulldogs, senior goalkeeper Teddy
Trowbridge (Mercer Island, WA) stopped nine shots.
In Sunday's contest against the event's host, Chapman,
the Maroon and Gray utilized a three-goal fourth quarter to
solidify its seventh-place finish at the WWPA Championships.
Terzic paced the offensive attack with four goals while R. Floersch
also contributed a large chunk of the team's final tally with
three. J. Floersch netted two scores while senior driver Brent
Dotters (Porterville, CA), Grosshans and senior central defender
Ian Starkie (Arroyo Grande, CA) supplied one apiece.
Trowbridge anchored the defense once again, accumulating a
game-high 13 saves.
Air Force (18-14) finished the tournament in sixth place while
Chapman (12-18) settled for eighth.
Redlands (18-18, 9-1 SCIAC) concludes its season as Southern
California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) champions
while qualifying for the WWPA Championships for the 13th straight
year. Head Coach Tom Whittemore, the winningest coach in program
history, now sits just eight victories shy of 400 on his career.
