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.