The third-seeded University of Redlands men's water polo team captured a solid 13-8 victory over sixth-seeded Occidental College in the opening round of the 2011 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Tournament at Las Flores Park in La Verne. The Bulldogs relied on a four-goal explosion in the third quarter to surge ahead in Friday's match-up, preserving their chances at a possible conference crown.
After facing an early deficit when Occidental converted its first goal, the Bulldogs responded with a 3-0 run only to watch the Tigers tie it up by the end of the opening frame.
A back-and-forth battle ensued, resulting in another knotted score at five apiece.
Redlands rattled off four consecutive goals to eventually take a lead that lasted through the final whistle. During this stretch, sophomore driver Quinn Curl (San Mateo, CA) uncorked two of his three goals for the Bulldogs.
The Tigers finished out the contest with three unanswered goals but the Maroon and Gray's victory was never in question.
Sophomore driver Clint Freeman (Brentwood, CA) stepped up with a team-leading four goal, which complemented Curl's hat trick. Six other Bulldogs chipped in one netter apiece.
Sophomore goalkeeper Tyler Abbott (Alta Loma, CA) patrolled the Redlands cage, pulling in 13 saves for the win.
Redlands (15-16, 6-2 SCIAC) battles it out with Pomona-Pitzer Colleges in Saturday's 1:30 p.m. semifinal game.
