The University of Redlands women's water polo team faced off against Chapman University in a Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) showdown at the Thompson Aquatic Center on Wednesday night. Despite a strong second half, the Bulldogs faced an early deficit and struggled to recover en route to the 8-15 loss.
After the Panthers jumped on the scoreboard, the Maroon and Gray responded to tie it up when senior attack player Annie Kinney (Newport Beach, CA) found the back of the net with 3:38 remaining in the first quarter.
Chapman fired off another score to take a 2-1 lead after the opening frame.
The momentum stayed with the Panthers for another goal, before Redlands' sophomore attack player Alea Weber (Haiku, HI) cut the deficit to one at the midway point of the period.
But Chapman entered the halftime break with a 4-2 lead.
During the third quarter, the Bulldogs found the back of the net only twice, which led to a 4-9 deficit. Senior utility player Taylor Christie (Anaheim, CA) and freshman utility player Kolby Kahahawai (Kailu, HI) each notched a score for the Maroon and Gray.
Although Redlands fired off four goals in the final frame, it was not enough to counter the Panthers' six-prolific offense. Freshman utility player Rachel Nelson (San Juan Capistrano, CA) accounted for three of these netters and Kahahawai added another score.
Between the pipes, senior goalkeeper AC Lopez (Northridge, CA) made four stops in the second stanza alone, while freshman goalkeeper Kelly Grosswendt (Newbury Park, CA) recorded five saves in the final two periods.
Redlands (3-16, 0-2 SCIAC) welcomes the Caltech Beavers to the Thompson Aquatic Center on Saturday, March 26, for an 11 a.m. SCIAC match. Later that day, the Bulldogs face VMI for the second time this year, with hopes of avenging an earlier season loss. That match is scheduled for 1 p.m.
