The University of Redlands men's water polo team took on tough competition at the annual UC Davis Aggie Shootout this past weekend, highlighted by a 14-9 victory over the Panthers of Chapman University.
Against the Panthers, Redlands notched eight first-half goals to give the squad an early lead, which held up through the final whistle. Three different Bulldogs found the back of the net on more than one occasion, headlined by senior center Blake vanHartesvelt's (Mercer Island, WA) four-goal performance.
Sophomore goalkeeper Tyler Abbott (Alta Loma, CA) secured UR's cage by collecting seven saves in the win.
In addition, the Bulldogs suffered losses to a pair of NCAA Division I opponents during tournament action. Redlands fell to No. 15 Santa Clara University in a 5-11 decision before suffering a 4-12 loss to No. 9 UC Davis.
Following the team's win against Chapman, Redlands made the quick trip to Stockton to face the sixth-ranked University of the Pacific on Sunday afternoon. The Tigers, who are coached by former Bulldog water polo standout James Graham '03, jumped out to an early 4-0 lead and never looked back.
Sophomore driver Clint Freeman (Brentwood, CA) registered multi-score efforts against Davis and Pacific.
Redlands (5-11) looks forward to the Claremont Convergence, which takes place on the campuses of Pomona-Pitzer Colleges and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges on Friday, October 7, and Saturday, October 8.
