The fourth-seeded University of Redlands men's water polo team faced off against the top-seeded Pomona-Pitzer Colleges in Saturday's semifinal game of the 2016 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Championship Tournament at Pasadena City College. After a sluggish start, the Bulldogs battled to make up the difference but came up short in a 7-12 decision.
The Sagehens came out firing and grabbed a 4-1 lead through the first quarter. Redlands' only goal came off of senior center-defender Mark Zikov (La Quinta, CA) in the final play of the period.
Redlands slowly worked its offense into a more successful rhythm by firing off three netters to make it a 4-10 game at the halfway point of the contest. Junior center Matt Shippen (Santa Maria, CA) unleashed consecutive goals for the Maroon and Gray, while freshman driver Spencer Allen (Long Beach, CA) found the back of the net once.
In the final two periods, the Bulldogs out-scored the Sagehens by a slight 3-2 margin, but it was not enough to overcome the early deficit. Freshman driver Bryce Hurick (Exeter, CA), senior driver Zac Polmanteer (Long Beach, CA), and freshman driver Austin Kent (Redlands, CA) each recorded scores for Redlands.
The Bulldogs (17-15, 6-4 SCIAC) look to rebound on Sunday when they take on Whittier College in the third-place match of the tournament at 1:30 p.m. at Pasadena City College.
