The University of Redlands women's water polo team's exciting run through the 2013 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Tournament came to an end on Sunday with a 7-10 loss to the Pomona-Pitzer Colleges Sagehens in the championship game. After the Sagehens broke a 1-1 tie early in the first period, the Bulldogs faced an uphill battle and never recovered, leading to the three-goal defeat.
Freshman utility player Annie Kinney (Balboa, CA) equalized Pomona-Pitzer's first goal by finding the back of the net with 6:04 to go in the opening frame
But the Sagehens found their offensive rhythm and fired off three consecutive goals for a 4-1 advantage, which proved to be the difference in the final score.
Redlands fought to cut the deficit to two on four occasions, including at 7-9 on a goal by senior driver Moana Tuipulotu (Lahaina, HI) with 7:09 left in the game.
But the Sagehens halted any chance of a comeback with their 10th netter of the game while playing tough defense through the final whistle.
Kinney finished with a game-high three goals, while four other Bulldogs scored one apiece.
Junior goalkeeper Julie Lupfer (San Diego, CA) made five stops in the Maroon and Gray's season-ending loss.
While combining the dual-match standings with the tournament results, Redlands (14-18, 7-4 SCIAC) finishes third in the SCIAC standings.
With the 2013 conference title, Pomona-Pitzer (18-16, 9-2 SCIAC) punches it ticket to the NCAA Championships for the second year in a row.