The University of Redlands men's water polo team faced off against the University of La Verne Leopards in Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) action on Wednesday in the Thompson Aquatic Center. The Bulldogs dominated the contest overall, as they held the lead from the midway point of the second stanza and never looked back.
After falling to an early two-goal deficit in the first period, the Bulldogs charged back to go up by a score of 3-2 by the completion of the stanza. Freshman driver Kevin Chapa (Carlsbad, CA) kicked off the scoring by netting a goal in the sixth minute. Freshman center Matthew Shippen (Santa Maria, CA) located the back of the net two minutes later to tie the contest at 2-2. However, Shippen did not stop there, as he fired another score past the La Verne goalkeeper to nab the Bulldogs' lead at 3-2.
La Verne tied the game up at 3-3 in the first couple minutes of the second period, but the Bulldogs quickly responded with a five-goal outburst. Senior defender Michael Robinson (Corona, CA) initiated the outburst with a solid netter with 4:22 to go in the frame.
View the goal here.
Robinson's goal sparked two more scores by the Maroon and Gray, as senior center David Sekula (LaGrange, IL) and junior center driver Nelson Glendinning (Philadelphia, PA) teamed up to unleash back-to-back goals in the last three minutes of the second stanza.
Entering the third period with a 6-3 advantage, the Bulldogs expanded the lead with a quick score from D. Sekula, followed by a netter from sophomore driver Zac Polmanteer (Long Beach, CA). However, the Leopards regained momentum and ended the period with two goals, cutting the deficit to three at 5-8.
La Verne rallied for another score early in the final stanza, but the Bulldogs fired home five fourth-period goals to create an impressive cushion for the win. Shippen and Chapa each added to their respective goal totals with two in the fourth period. Junior center John Koning (Poway, CA) added the Maroon and Gray's final netter to make it a 13-9 decision.
Sophomore goalkeeper Chris Sekula (LaGrange, IL) patrolled the Redlands cage in a complete-game showing that included 12 saves.
Redlands (7-19, 3-4 SCIAC) hosts the Occidental College Tigers on Saturday, November 15, in a SCIAC competition at 11 a.m. Prior to the game, the Bulldogs will honor their seniors in the final home contest of the regular season.
