The University of Redlands men's water polo team opened Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) action with a big showing on the road at Chapman University on Saturday.  With their offense clicking on all cylinders, the Bulldogs impressed with a 17-7 win over the Panthers.

After breaking a five-all tie early in the second quarter, the Maroon and Gray never looked back en route to the dominating win that included nine different goal-scorers.

With the score knotted, Redlands erupted for five-straight scores to secure a 10-5 advantage.  Senior driver Zac Polmanteer (Long Beach, CA) initiated this offensive outburst with his first goal of the game at the 5:45-mark of the second period.  On the Bulldogs' next possession, senior center-defender Mark Zikov (La Quint, CA) fired off a goal to make it 7-5, before junior center-defender Max Taylor (Henderson, NV) joined the scoring party.  Freshman driver Spencer Allen (Long Beach, CA) and Polmanteer capped off the impressive run for the Bulldogs.

Redlands continued to pour on the offense while taking advantage of multiple 6-on-5 opportunities for additional scoring spurts through the final whistle.  Taylor finished with a game-high four goals, while Zikov added three.  Freshman driver Austin Kent (Redlands, CA), freshman driver Blake Burney (Las Vegas, NV), and junior center Matt Shippen (Santa Maria, CA) each notched a fourth-quarter netter for the Maroon and Gray.

In addition to great offense, the Bulldogs united their efforts on defense to shut down the Panthers and force them into difficult shots.  Senior goalkeeper Chris Sekula (LaGrange, IL) remained a brick wall in the Redlands cage, racking up save after save for 12 total on the day.

Redlands (12-10, 1-0 SCIAC) looks forward to competing at home on Saturday, October 22, during Homecoming Weekend.  The Bulldogs take on the Occidental College Tigers in a SCIAC match at 11 a.m. in the Thompson Aquatic Center.  Redlands is also hosting a friendly alumni match at 2 p.m.