The University of Redlands men's water polo team jumped into action on Saturday by competing in the first day of the UCSD Triton Invitational in San Diego. The Bulldogs battled it out in a pair of quality matches but came up short against sixth-ranked Long Beach State University in a 5-9 decision, before falling to No. 13 UC Davis by a score of 7-13.
In the first game of the day, Redlands scored the only goal of the first period when sophomore driver Kevin Chapa (Carlsbad, CA) fired one past the 49er goalkeeper.
After LBSU nabbed a 3-1 advantage at the midway point of the match, the Bulldogs responded by scoring two-consecutive goals, as Chapa and freshman driver Aki Andersen (Laguna Beach, CA) found the back of the net.
Redlands earned a 4-3 lead with 3:05 remaining in the third period when senior center John Koning (Poway, CA) notched the first goal of his the season.
However, the 49ers answered with five-straight scores before junior driver Kevin Tunney's (Palos Park, IL) a late-game score, but LBSU remained in control through the final whistle.
Junior goalkeeper Chris Sekula (LaGrange, IL) patrolled the Bulldog cage and notched 12 saves in a complete-game effort.
Redlands took on the Davis Aggies in its second outing of the tournament and scored the first goal again, as Chapa stepped up for the Maroon and Gray. However, his initiated a four-goal outburst by the opponents, before the Bulldogs fired off a pair of scores to make it 3-4. Junior drivers Brandon Yee (San Mateo, CA) and Kyle Murata (Brea, CA) each found the back of the net for Redlands.
After the Aggies took a 5-3 lead, the Maroon and Gray evened the count at five apiece with goals by sophomore center Matt Shippen (Santa Maria, CA) and Koning to conclude the second period.
The teams traded scores through the first three minutes of the next frame, with junior center-defender Mark Zikov (La Quinta, CA) and sophomore center-defender Danny Hartwig (Vista, CA) each finding the back of the net for the Bulldogs.
However, Davis responded with six unanswered goals to hang on for the Aggies' 13-7 win.
Redlands' Sekula added seven saves to his total for the day.
On Sunday, Redlands (0-2) takes on the host school, 10th-ranked UC San Diego, at 8 a.m., before concluding the tournament with a 4:30 p.m. showdown against No. 14 Loyola Marymount University.
