The University of Redlands men's water polo team competed in its final dual match of the regular season on Saturday, taking on the Occidental College Tigers at the Thompson Aquatic Center. The Bulldogs dominated in all aspects of the contest, as they reeled in a 15-4 victory for an excellent celebration of their five contributing seniors.
Before the match-up, the team recognized seniors Tommy Hartwig (Vista, CA), David Sekula (LaGrange, IL), Alex Keith (Bellevue, WA), Michael Robinson (Corona, CA), and Jake Melia (Henderson, NV) for their contributions to the Bulldogs' men's water polo program.
After the first whistle blew, the Maroon and Gray displayed no mercy as the team unleashed six unanswered goals to hold the Tigers scoreless through the opening period. The Bulldogs continued to rack up the points in the second stanza, as they fired home five goals. After two full periods of action, the Bulldogs held an 11-3 advantage over the Tigers.
The dominance did not stop there, as the Bulldogs remained relentless in the latter half of the contest. While netting three goals in the third period, the Redlands defense kept the Tigers off the scoreboard for another shutout performance.
The teams each traded scores in the fourth, but the sole Oxy netter was not nearly enough, as Redlands cruised to an impressive 15-4 victory.
Hartwig, D. Sekula, Keith, and Robinson each registered two goals in the contest.
A trio of sophomores consisting of driver Brandon Yee (San Mateo, CA), driver Bryden Newell (Laguna Niguel, CA), and center driver Mark Zicov (La Quinta, CA) provided a combined three scores in the contest. In addition, the freshman tandem of driver Kevin Chapa (Carlsbad, CA) and driver Logan Wright (Ladera Ranch, CA) chipped in with a pair of goals.
The Bulldogs featured all three goalkeepers in the win. Freshman Teddy Best (Vista, CA) led the trio with five saves, as junior Christian Jamison (San Bernardo, CA) and sophomore Chris Sekula (LaGrange, IL) raked in three saves apiece.
Redlands (8-19, 4-4 SCIAC) looks forward to hosting the SCIAC Championship Tournament on Friday, November 21, through Sunday, November 23, in the Thompson Aquatic Center. All games will include live video streaming through the Bulldogs' portal at http://portal.stretchinternet.com/redlands/. Per SCIAC policy, users will have to pay a fee of $5 per day to view the stream.
