COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - The University of Redlands Men's Water Polo team got the Air Force Rare Air Challenge underway Saturday in Colorado Springs, CO with a pair of match-ups against St. Francis (N.Y.) and Air Force Academy.

Unfortunately the Bulldogs dropped both match-ups 17-10 (St. Francis) and 15-8 (Air Force) falling to 3-6 on the season.     

Game 1 - St. Francis (N.Y.) (L, 17-10)

Redlands got an early goal from Max Wagener (Piedmont, CA) who equalized 1:23 into the first quarter getting fed by Alec Abrahamian (Glendale, CA). Trailing 5-1 in the middle of the second quarter, Drake Moody (Camarillo, CA) scored off an Eamon Greathouse (Bainbridge Island, WA) feed with 4:38 left in the half, but the Bulldogs found themselves in a 9-2 hole at the break. 

Out of the half UR found themselves down by eleven, but were able to string together a pair of goals courtesy of Jake Rose (San Diego, CA) converting a penalty and Andrew Sorensen (Long Beach, CA) tacking on another :22 seconds following a penalty. 

Across the final five minutes of the game, the Bulldogs scored six of the final seven goals as they made the margin a more respectable seven. During the run Greathouse scored twice, Ron Gvishi (Kiryat Tivon, Israel) scored his first goal of the game, Wagener had a goal and an assist, Sorensen added his second goal of the game, Reed Caron (Sacramento, CA) picked up his first, and Ethan Beaty (Denver, CO) had an assist in his return to his home state. 

The Bulldogs finished with 43 shots, but only converted them at a .233 rate. Redlands spread their scoring around from six different players.  Liam Murphy (Placentia, CA) and Brandon Khalil (Bakersfield, CA) both played 16:00 minutes and combined for seven saves.    

Game 2 - Air Force Academy (L, 15-8)

The matchup with Air Force was a rematch from last Saturday when UR fell 10-9, which came down to the final minute. 

It was a competitive start for the game as the Bulldogs and Falcons played to a tie at the end of the opening period.  The Bulldogs led 2-1 after Dan Bajda (Lombard, IL) and Wagener found the back of the net.  But that was as close as Redlands would get as AFA would put together four unanswered in the second quarter to take a 7-3 lead into the break. 

In the third the Falcons scored the first three goals to extend their lead to 10-3. But the Bulldogs did not go away quietly as Andrew Higginson (San Diego, CA) would go back-to-back with 2:08 left in the third making it a five-goal deficit.  

After a Falcon power play goal with 4:42 left in the fourth, the deficit became seven, 13-6, and that proved enough for Air Force to hold on for the win. 

The Bulldogs and Falcons combined for 24 exclusions and 58 shots. Wagener scored four times, Higginson twice, and Bajda and Spencer Clinton (Cypress, CA) once. 

The Bulldogs wrap up the Air Force Rare Air Challenge tomorrow, Sunday, September 18 when they take on Division I Iona (9:30 a.m.) and Westcliff University (1:15 p.m.).