While competing in the third-place game of the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Championships, the University of Redlands Bulldogs blew it open in the third period to take down the Sagehens of Pomona-Pitzer Colleges by a score of 10-6.
Sophomore driver John Koning (Poway, CA) initiated the scoring for Redlands early on in the first quarter. After back-and-forth defensive stands, the Sagehens answered with two goals of their own to recover the lead by a score of 2-1.
However, the U of R quickly responded in the second quarter when senior driver Quinn Curl (San Mateo, CA) rifled his first of two goals of the stanza. Two minutes later, Koning uncorked his second score to put the Bulldogs out in front for the second time. The teams went back and forth through the final minutes, with Curl's netter knotting the score at four apiece by the end of the first half.
Early in the third period, junior driver Michael Robinson (Corona, CA) regained Redlands' advantage by unleashing his first goal of the game.
View Robinson's score.
After a Sagehen goal, Curl converted a pair of scoring opportunities for the Maroon and Gray to make it 7-5. The offense maintained the momentum with junior center-defender David Sekula (LaGrange, IL) and Koning fired off goals for the Bulldogs to finish the period ahead by a score of 9-6.
See Sekula's netter.
Senior center-defender Christian Ogawa (San Diego, CA) then provided the only goal of the fourth frame for added insurance in Redlands' win.
Watch Ogawa's goal.
Following the action, Curl and senior center Clint Freeman (Brentwood, CA) shared their thoughts about the meaning of the win and more.
Senior goalkeeper Tyler Abbott (Alta Loma, CA) offered eight saves in his final game as a Bulldog. After the game, he spoke about the defensive efforts that the team made throughout the game.
By combining their six dual-victories with their third-place finish at the SCIAC tournament, the Redlands Bulldogs finish the campaign in third place in the conference standings. The team posted an overall record of 19-14 to go along with an 8-3 SCIAC showing.
