WHITTIER, Calif. – The University of Redlands Men's Water Polo team cruised past the Whittier College Poets 18-6 Wednesday night thanks to an eight-goal first quarter as the Bulldogs now sit all alone in second place in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) behind Claremont-Mudd-Scripps after the Stags beat Pomona-Pitzer. 

Andrew Higginson (San Diego, CA) got the night off to a good start with a pair of goals in the first two minutes, Nicolas Fedotov (Miami Beach, FL) and Dean Moody (Camarillo, CA) had the assists.

After a Poet goal, Ron Gvishi (Kiryat Tivon, Israel) scored to make it 3-1 only :15 seconds later. The Bulldogs would end the quarter on a 6-1 run and led 8-2 after the opening quarter. Moody scored twice, Higginson got his third, Gvishi scored his second, and Andrew Sorensen (Long Beach, CA) got on the scoresheet as Spencer Sellwood (Irvine, CA) and Troy Barker (Roseville, CA) each had assists.

In the first minute and a half of the second quarter Fedotov found Curren McCarthy (San Clemente, CA) for his first goal of the night.

The Poets, though, scored back-to-back tallies to make it a five-goal game with 4:09 to play in the half. Redlands got two back thanks to Moody and Higginson connections as Alec Abrahamian (Glendale, CA) and Moody each had assists. A late Whittier goal made it 11-5 at the break.  

Four unanswered goals to open the second half put the game to bed as the Bulldogs held the largest of lead of the game at 10, 15-5. Moody, Gvishi, Higginson, and Owen Nishimura (Carlsbad, CA) all scored.

The final three goals for the Bulldogs came from McCarthy, Callum Norman (Johannesburg, South Africa), and Tanner Stagner (Laguna Niguel, CA) as the Bulldogs finished off the game with just over ten minutes of scoreless defensive play.

Higginson found the back of the net five times, Moody did so four times, and Gvishi scored three times. Sellwood led the way with three assists while Gvishi, Fedotov, and Moody each assisted on a pair of goals.

In goal Barker finished with 11 saves, a steal, and an assist, the first of his collegiate career.

Redlands will host the University of La Verne on Saturday, October 28 at the Thompson Aquatic Center (TAC) at 11:00 a.m. They will then play a non-conference game with California Baptist University at 4:00 p.m. at the TAC.