The University of Redlands men's water polo team took to the road for an important Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) match against the University of La Verne on Wednesday afternoon. The Bulldogs broke a four-all tie late in the second period and maintained a slight advantage en route to nabbing the 10-8 win over the Leopards.
The Maroon and Gray jumped out to a 3-1 lead through the first period, with junior center-defender Mark Zikov (La Quinta, CA) initiating the quick start. Following a La Verne score, Redlands responded with back-to-back netters, as freshman center Billy Clifford (Redlands, CA) and sophomore center Matt Shippen (Santa Maria, CA) provided goals.
Although the Leopards managed to tie it up in the second frame, Redlands remained poised, as Shippen registered a key netter late in the period to earn a 5-4 Bulldog lead at the intermission.
From here, the Maroon and Gray stayed in front, thanks to quality scores by Shippen, senior center-defender Jake Funk (Fremont, CA), and Clifford to make it 8-6 early in the fourth quarter. Senior center-defender Nelson Glendinning (Philadelphia, PA) fired off the eventual game-winner with 6:11 remaining in the game, while junior driver Zac Polmanteer (Long Beach, CA) provided an insurance goal for the Bulldogs.
Junior goalkeeper Chris Sekula (LaGrange, IL) patrolled the Bulldog cage, providing 11 important saves in the hard-fought victory.
With the win, Redlands (14-13, 5-2 SCIAC) ranks third in the standings with one more conference dual-match to play before the SCIAC Championships. Next, the Bulldogs head to Occidental College on Saturday, November 14, for an 11 a.m. showdown against the Tigers.
