The University of Redlands women's water polo team faced two formidable opponents in Santa Clara on Sunday to wrap up its Northern California trip. The Bulldogs suffered a tough 5-15 loss to the Broncos of Santa Clara University before coming up just short in a hard-fought battle against Cal State Monterey Bay, 6-7.
The Maroon and Gray forced multiple ties against the Otters, including at the end of the first and third periods. Sophomore driver Annie Kinney (Newport Beach, CA) registered the early-game equalizer, while freshman driver Grace Cochran (Danville, CA) evened things up with four seconds to play in the third frame.
However, the Otters pulled away in the final stanza, taking a three-goal lead that provided the necessary cushion in the close contest.
Overall, junior center-defender Deandra Van Houten (Huntington Beach, CA) was the only Bulldog to score more than one goal as she finished with two netters.
In the day's first contest, Redlands fell behind early and never recovered against Santa Clara. Five different players found the back of the net for the Bulldogs, with Kinney, Van Houten, Cochran, freshman center Madison Andres (Princeton, NJ), and senior center Jaci Cochrane (San Bernardino, CA) firing one past the Otter goalkeeper.
Saves were not available at the time of posting.
Redlands (8-14) opens Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) competition on Wed., March 26, when it travels to Eagle Rock to take on Occidental College at 5 p.m. Fans may follow the action through live streaming at http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/oxy.portal#. A small registration fee is required for access.
