The University of Redlands men's water polo capped off a solid, home-opening weekend at the Inland Empire Classic on Sunday by earning a 16-4 victory over Occidental College, which came after a tough 4-18 loss to No. 9 Pepperdine University.
During the Bulldogs' final match of the day, the team turned a slightly slow start into an impressive offensive display while never trailing against the Tigers.
After the Maroon and Gray earned a 4-2 lead through the first two periods, Head Coach Tom Whittemore provided the necessary inspiration at halftime to motivate a seven-goal showing in the third frame. Redlands benefitted from a well-balanced attack that included six different players, as highlighted by senior driver Zac Polmanteer's (Long Beach, CA) pair of scores.
The Bulldogs continued to press in the final period, with junior driver Michael Adami (Denton, TX) uncorking a hat trick over the course of just 74 seconds.
In addition, senior center-defender Danny Hartwig (Vista, CA) finished the win with three goals.
Overall, the Maroon and Gray's defense limited the Tigers to just one goal per quarter, with senior goalkeeper Chris Sekula (LaGrange, IL) serving as a brick wall between the posts through three periods. In addition, freshman goalkeeper Braeden Shaw (Yorba Linda, CA) put in a quality showing during the fourth stanza.
Earlier in the day, Redlands squared off against the ninth-ranked team from Pepperdine and struggled to match the Waves' offensive rhythm. Junior center-defender Max Taylor (Henderson, NV), sophomore center-defender Mitchell Walker (Taylorsville, UT), freshman driver Blake Burney (Las Vegas, NV), and freshman driver Spencer Allen (Long Beach, CA) each found the back of the net in the loss.
Redlands (2-6) heads to north to the UC Davis Aggie Invite on Saturday, September 17, and Sunday, September 18. The Bulldogs open the tournament with a 12:20 p.m. match against Fresno Pacific University on Friday.
