Following 22 non-conference games, the University of Redlands men's water polo team jumped into Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) action with Saturday's tilt against Cal Lutheran University. The Bulldogs relied on a well-balanced scoring attack to push past the visiting Kingsmen in a 9-7 opening win.
Four Redlands players found the back of the net on two occasions, accounting for all but one of the team's scores. Junior driver Shane Anderson (Riverside, CA), senior driver Danny Boessenecker (Clayton, CA), senior center Blake vanHartesvelt (Mercer Island, WA), and sophomore driver Clint Freeman (Brentwood, CA) each contributed a pair of goals, while junior driver Patrick Roth (Cottonwood Heights, UT) netted one.
Sophomore goalkeeper Tyler Abbott (Alta Loma, CA) patrolled the Maroon and Gray cage, recording nine saves in the process.
Later that afternoon, Redlands returned to action for a non-conference tilt, facing Gannon University (PA) at the Thompson Aquatic Center. With the help of a lucrative offense and a smothering defense, the Bulldogs captured a resounding 14-5 win over the Golden Knights.
Senior driver Cabot Ferrill (Poway, CA), sophomore center Grant Harrington (Poway, CA), freshman driver David Sekula (LaGrange, IL) and Roth notched two goals apiece for the Maroon and Gray. In addition, Anderson, junior center-defender Alex Dow (Temple City, CA), sophomore driver Keaton Lynn (Oakley, CA), sophomore driver Quinn Curl (San Mateo, CA), sophomore center Alex Keith (Bellevue, WA), and freshman center Tommy Hartwig (Vista, CA) fired one past the opposing goalkeeper.
Junior goalkeeper Jessie Gunther (Perris, CA) racked up seven saves before handing over the reigns to freshman goalkeepers Mark Laturno (Bonita, CA) and Luis Mendoza (Perris, CA), who collected four and one stop, respectively.
In other action, Cal Lutheran posted a 16-9 victory over Gannon between the two Redlands games.
The Bulldogs (9-13, 1-0 SCIAC) head to Las Flores Park for a 4 p.m. bout against the University of La Verne on Wednesday.
