The University of Redlands men's water polo team began its
defense of last season's Southern California Intercollegiate
Athletic Conference (SCIAC) championship with today's 11-8 victory
over the visiting Leopards of the University of La Verne at the
Thompson Aquatic Center. In front of an energetic crowd, the
Bulldogs garnered a third-quarter lead and held on for their first
conference win of the season.
Following a back-and-forth battle during the first two periods,
the score was knotted at five apiece. The Bulldogs uncorked three
goals and allowed only one score by the Leopards in the third
frame, resulting in a slight 8-6 advantage. The Maroon and Gray's
lead held up in the final stanza with Redlands finding the back of
the net three times, compared to La Verne's two-goal effort.
Junior center-defender Andrew Smith-Jones (Annapolis, MD) led
all scorers with four goals, while junior center Blake
vanHartesvelt (Mercer Island, WA) provided a hat trick for the
Bulldogs. Senior driver Drew Fischer (Highland, CA), junior driver
Danny Boessenecker (Clayton, CA), junior driver Jeff Parsons
(Newark, CA), and senior driver Bo Sidhu (Indio, CA) each rattled
the cage on one occasion.
Sophomore goalkeeper Jessie Gunther (Perris, CA) patrolled the
Redlands goal with three saves.
The Bulldogs (10-11, 1-0 SCIAC) return to action later this
afternoon with a 3:40 p.m. showdown against the Air Force Academy
at Golden West Community College.