The University of Redlands men's water polo squad continued its 2014 campaign over the weekend, as the Bulldogs faced off against top-tier competition in the 2014 Kap7 NorCal Classic. The Bulldogs took on four opponents ranked in the top 25, consisting of No. 1 Stanford University, No. 10 UC Irvine, No. 14 Santa Clara University, and No. 12 Loyola Marymount University.
The Bulldogs kicked off the tournament against top-ranked Stanford but suffered a 3-26 loss to the Cardinal. The Maroon and Gray put up one score in the first period, as senior driver Michael Robinson (Corona, CA) fired a goal past the Stanford goalkeeper to get Redlands on the board. Robinson added another netter in the second, while senior center David Sekula (LaGrange, IL) tallied a score as well.
The Maroon and Gray faced off against No. 10 UC Irvine for its second game of the classic. D. Sekula recorded a game-high three goals by netting two in the first period and one in the second period. In addition, freshman driver Kevin Chapa (Carlsbad, CA) and sophomore driver Bryden Newell (Laguna Niguel, CA) each raked in a goal for the U of R. Despite increasing their previous offensive output by two goals, the Bulldogs fell by a score of 5-17.
Entering into the third game of the classic, the Bulldogs squared off against No. 14 Santa Clara in a tough match. Redlands held Santa Clara to two goals in the first frame with help from sophomore goalkeeper Chris Sekula (La Grande, IL), who recorded six saves in the opening period alone. In a tight defense battle, the Bulldogs trailed 1-2, with D. Sekula notching the Maroon and Gray's only score of the stanza. Both teams traded off two goals in the second period with junior center driver Jake Funk (Fremont, CA) and sophomore center driver Mark Zikov (La Quinta, CA) finding the back of the net. Despite being down by just one goal after two periods, the Bulldogs struggled to match the offensive pace of their opponents in the final two frames and suffered a 4-9 loss.
The final game of the classic brought the most excitement, as the Bulldogs were amidst a tight-knit match against No. 12 Loyola Marymount. With Chapa providing the lone goal in the first period, Redlands faced an early 1-3 deficit. But the Bulldogs worked to diversify their scoring outlets in the second period, as led by junior center John Koning (Poway, CA) with his three-goal performance. Zikov added another score to Koning's total, as Redlands cut down the lead to one at 5-6. The Bulldogs continued to battle in the pool, with freshman center Matthew Shippen (Santa Maria, CA) and Funk notching scores in the third period, but the team still trailed, 7-9. After trailing the entire contest, the Bulldogs rallied to force an overtime period with critical scores by D. Sekula, Funk, and Koning forced the overtime battle. Furthermore, C. Sekula defended impressively between the pipes by hauling in four saves.
In the first three-minute overtime period, Loyola Marymount scored on its first possession, forcing Redlands to answer. In the face of the score, the Bulldogs quickly gathered themselves and turned to D. Sekula with a goal in the last minute of the stanza, tying the score at 11-11 before entering the second overtime.
While the Bulldogs continued to fight for the victory, the squad came up short by a score of 11-12 in double-overtime.
The Bulldogs (1-11) continue their 2014 efforts on Friday, October 3, and Saturday, October 4, in the Gary Troyer Memorial Tournament at Pomona-Pitzer Colleges. Redlands faces off against Concordia University – Irvine at 10 a.m.
