Despite overcoming a slow start, the University of Redlands men's water polo team suffered a 10-11 loss to the Sagehens of Pomona-Pitzer Colleges on Wednesday. As a result, the Bulldogs fall out of the four-way tie for first place in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) standings with one conference match to go before the all-inclusive tournament.
In Claremont, Pomona-Pitzer jumped out to an early 5-1 lead and seemed to be in control through the first two quarters.
Down 3-7, the Bulldogs finally responded with a 5-1 run of their own to tie it up at eight apiece with 2:02 left in the third period. During this stretch, senior center Blake vanHartesvelt (Mercer Island, WA) scored on back-to-back occasions, including one on a man-up opportunity.
During the fourth frame, the teams traded blows until Pomona-Pitzer converted two in a row to secure a lead that eventually held up.
VanHartesvelt led the Bulldogs with four goals, while sophomore driver Clint Freeman (Brentwood, CA) chipped in two. Four other players tossed in one score apiece for the Maroon and Gray.
Sophomore goalkeeper Tyler Abbott (Alta Loma, CA) patrolled the Redlands cage by making six saves on the night.
The Bulldogs (13-15, 4-2 SCIAC) host Caltech in their final home match of the regular season on Saturday at 11 a.m. The team looks forward to honoring its seniors at the Thompson Aquatic Center prior to the first whistle. Later that day, the Bulldogs head to Cal Baptist University for a non-conference showdown against the Lancers at 2 p.m.
