The University of Redlands women's water polo team came from behind to win a thriller against Occidental College on Wednesday evening, capturing a 9-7 victory in overtime. The Bulldogs needed a late score to tie the contest in regulation and then went on to outplay the Tigers in the overtime period, securing the important Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) triumph.
In a very defensive opening eight minutes, the Tigers scored the only goal and took a one goal advantage into the second stanza. Redlands tied the contest immediately, as less than a minute into the second period, freshman utility player Annie Kinney (Balboa, CA) found the back of the net for the Bulldogs.
Occidental then scored two consecutive goals before U of R junior center Jaci Cochrane (San Bernardino, CA) cut the deficit in half before the end of the second quarter.
The Tigers would continue to press in the third period, notching the first two goals to extend the advantage to three scores over Redlands. Bulldog sophomore center-defender Haley Hollinrake (Redlands, CA) and senior driver Moana Tuipulotu (Lahaina, HI) registered scores for Redlands to pull the team to back within one midway through the quarter, but Occidental found the back of the net with just over a minute left in the third to take a 6-4 advantage into the final stanza.
Kinney brought the Maroon and Gray back to within striking distance when she scored for the second time in the contest with 5:48 remaining in regulation. Neither side was able to break through over the course of the next several minutes, but Redlands got the ball back with just over 10 seconds remaining on the clock and would have one final opportunity.
After a timeout was called by the U of R, Hollinrake provided the heroics for the Bulldogs. With the time ticking down, she launched a long shot from way out and watched as the ball sailed into the back of the net with just one second remaining in regulation, sending the Bulldog fans at the Thompson Aquatic Center into a frenzy.
The Tigers, not backing down, however, notched the first score of the overtime period. Showing its resiliency, the U of R found a way once again and tied the contest at 7-7 when Tuipulotu recorded her second goal of the evening.
After the teams traded sides in the overtime stanza, Redlands freshman driver Summer Parsons (El Cajon, CA) provided the biggest goal of her collegiate career, getting one past the Tiger goalkeeper with just over a minute left on the clock. Cochrane then sealed it for the Bulldogs, scoring with 26 seconds remaining to give the U of R the insurance goal it needed to secure the triumph.
Redlands junior goalkeeper Julie Lupfer (San Diego, CA) played outstanding all game long in the cage, making big save after big save, tallying 14 in all.
The Bulldogs (8-13, 1-0 SCIAC) return to action on Saturday, March 30, when they host the Poets of Whittier College in a SCIAC game at the Thompson Aquatic Center at 11 a.m. The Maroon and Gray then hosts Cal Baptist University later in the day in a non-conference bout, scheduled to begin at 3 p.m.
