The University of Redlands women's water polo team hit the road for two matches on Saturday, earning a 15-11 victory over Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) foe, Occidental College, before dropping a 3-16 loss to No. 20 Cal State Northridge in the afternoon tilt.
Against the Tigers of Occidental, the Bulldogs scored the first two goals of the game and never relinquished the lead in an offensive display by both teams. Senior attacker Michelle Na (Mercer Island, WA) got things started for the Maroon and Gray by scoring with 6:20 to go in the first quarter. Junior center Kolby Kahahawai (Kailua, HI) converted a dime of a pass from first-year defender Sarah Draves (Fallbrook, CA) to make it 2-0.
Redlands continued to hold a 3-2 lead through the end of the first quarter, as junior defender Carmen Gardner (South San Francisco, CA) found the back of the net with 22 seconds left on the clock.
The Bulldogs' biggest output came in the second stanza when they converted five goals from five different players. Na had her hand in four of them by providing one goal and three assists, as Redlands entered the third frame with an 8-5 advantage.
Although Occidental cut the deficit to one with back-to-back scores, the Maroon and Gray quickly regrouped with a three-goal, scoring spurt. Junior attacker Katelyn Jenkins (Bellevue, WA) and sophomore attacker Olivia Allen (Santa Monica, CA) each fired off goals from Draves' assists, while Draves uncorked a goal of her own from junior attacker Sami Walker's (Taylorsville, UT) sweet pass.
The Bulldogs maintained their lead through the final whistle by out-scoring the Tigers, 4-3, in the final eight minutes.
Kahahawai paced the Redlands attack with four goals, while Jenkins added a hat trick. Na stepped up with four assists, two goals and two steals, as Allen scored twice and dished out one assist.
Junior goalkeeper Kelly Grosswendt (Newbury Park, CA) tallied four saves in a complete-game performance.
In Redlands' second game of the day, Cal State Northridge stormed out to a quick start and never looked back en route to the Bulldogs' 3-16 loss to the Matadors.
The Bulldogs struggled to score through the first half and faced a significant deficit as a result. They managed three goals over the final two frames, with Na, Jenkins, and first-year attacker August Key (Albuquerque, NM) each finding the back of the net.
Redlands returns home to the Thompson Aquatic Center on Wednesday, March 28, for a doubleheader. The Maroon and Gray takes on the University of La Verne at 4 p.m. before hosting the Virginia Military Institute at 7 p.m.
