The University of Redlands men's water polo program played in two contests on Saturday to finish out the dual-match season, taking down the Leopards of the University of La Verne in the first game, 12-9. The victory jumped the Bulldogs into a tie for fifth place in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) standings. The second game of the day saw the Maroon and Gray fall to a tough Cal Baptist University squad by a score of 3-9.
With SCIAC Championship Tournament seeding implications on the line, Redlands played one of its better games of the season to help clinch the fifth seed for the upcoming event.
After being shutout in the opening period, the Maroon and Gray stormed back in the second stanza, scoring five goals to take a 5-3 lead. Junior driver Clint Freeman (Brentwood, CA) got the offense rolling for the Bulldogs at the 6:36 mark in that second period, scoring one of his four goals in the contest. Additionally, junior driver Quinn Curl (San Mateo, CA) and sophomore driver Michael Robinson (Corona, CA) both found the back of the net to push the lead to 3-1. After the Leopards made it a one-goal game, Redlands tacked on two more before the end of the period.
Subsequent to falling behind, 6-7, in the third stanza, Freeman scored to level the game, and then Curl tallied another goal for the Bulldogs' one-score advantage.
At the start of the fourth, the Leopards fought back to tie the contest at 8-8, but it was Robinson who gave the Maroon and Gray a lead that it would not relinquish with 6:30 left to play. For good measure, Freeman tacked on two more late scores to seal the exciting 12-9 SCIAC victory.
Bulldog junior goalkeeper Tyler Abbott (Alta Loma, CA) was stellar between the pipes, racking up nine saves in the win.
In Redlands' dual-match finale, it took on Cal Baptist University in a non-conference showdown. After a back-and-forth opening stanza, the two sides were tied at two apiece with Curl leading the Maroon and Gray offense.
However, the Lancer defense prevailed against the Bulldogs, holding them to only one more goal in the game for the tough loss.
Despite the day's outcome, Redlands finished out the SCIAC dual-match schedule on a high note, rattling off three consecutive conference victories. Each of those wins were crucial, as they seeded the Bulldogs fifth overall in the SCIAC Championship Tournament.
Redlands faces off against the host school and fourth-seeded Whittier College in the first round on Friday at 5:30 p.m. Earlier this season, the Poets pushed past the Bulldogs in a tight 15-14 contest.
