The University of Redlands men's water polo team opened Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) action on Saturday morning against the Chapman University Panthers.  Under pristine conditions at the Thompson Aquatic Center, the Bulldogs battled to a four-all tie but struggled to counter the Panthers' offense en route to a 7-12 loss.

Sophomore utility player Kyle Jackson (Naperville, IL) fired off the game's first goal to put Redlands up by one with 5:17 to go in the first quarter.  Thirty seconds later, senior attack player Kevin Chapa (Carlsbad, CA) extended that lead by converting a goal off of sophomore attack player Spencer Allen's sweet pass.  

However, Chapman quickly answered with back-to-back scores to force a tie late in the first quarter. But with 1:28 remaining, Jackson found an open Chapa for the Bulldogs' 3-2 lead after eight minutes of action.

Following a pair of quick goals by the Panthers, Redlands pulled one back with 2:17 left on the second-quarter clock, as Allen found the back of the net.  Unfortunately for the home team, Chapman ramped up its offense by firing off three-straight netters, including a five-meter penalty shot, to close out the second stanza with a 7-4 advantage at the halftime break.

Although senior utility player Max Taylor's (Henderson, NV) goal from Allen ended the Bulldogs' scoring drought early in the third period, the Panthers remained unfazed and continued to press offensively, leading to the eventual 7-12 Bulldog loss. 

Junior center Billy Clifford (Redlands, CA) and sophomore center Cooper Krause (Denver, CO) accounted for the Maroon and Gray's final two goals of the game.

Freshman goalkeeper Chris Martinez (Santa Ana, CA) guarded the Redlands cage by making 10 saves in the loss.

Redlands (2-9, 0-1 SCIAC) heads to Cal Lutheran University on Wednesday, September 27, for a 4 p.m. SCIAC match against the Kingsmen.