REDLANDS, Calif. – The University of Redlands Men's Water Polo team (4-7, 1-0 SCIAC) opened Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) play with a dominant 17-5 win over California Lutheran University (CLU) Wednesday evening at the Thompson Aquatic Center.
It was a commanding performance by the Maroon and Grey, which highlighted the Bulldogs' offensive prowess, led by Max Wagener (Piedmont, CA) who scored five times throughout the contest.
The game kicked off with an explosive first quarter where Redlands quickly established dominance, scoring four goals, while Cal Lutheran managing just one. It was evident that the Bulldogs were in control outscoring the Kingsmen 4-1 thanks to goals from Wagener, two from Harrison DeCourcy (Alameda, CA), and another from Spencer Clinton (Cypress, CA). Nicolas Fedotov (Miami Beach, FL) had assists on the first two goals, Dean Moody (Camarillo, CA) on the third, and Owen Nishimura (Carlsbad, CA) the fourth.
Adam Lambert (St. Louis, MO) and Clinton then made it 6-1 with a pair of goals in the first three minutes of the second quarter as the U of R continued to build their lead. The Kingsmen, though, ended the half on a 3-1 run as the lead after 16 minutes was only three, 7-4. The seventh Bulldog goal came from Tanner Whitson (St. Louis, MO) who was setup by Moody.
The second half saw a relentless Redlands offense, striking five times in both the third and fourth quarters. Nishimura and Fedotov were central to this offensive explosion, each contributing multiple goals, while Wagener tacked on another. The Kingsmen struggled to keep pace, only managing one additional goal in the fourth quarter. Ron Gvishi (Kiryat Tivon, Israel) and Andrew Sorensen (Long Beach, CA) also added assists during the run.
CLU scored to begin the fourth, but that was their lone goal of the second half as Redlands went on another 5-0 run to end the game. Moody and Fedotov each added one more to their tally, while Wagener had a hat trick in the final 5:37. Whitson added two assists and Liam Gore (Glendora, CA) another.
Fedotov finished with three goals, four assists, and four drawn exclusions. Clinton had two goals, five drawn exclusions and five steals. In goal Roberto Barrera (Guanajuato, Mexico) had a relatively quiet evening as he faced only 12 shots on goal, saving seven of them and collecting two steals.
The Bulldogs will prepare for the Gary Troyer Tournament in Claremont this Friday and Saturday, October 4-5 as they play four times with their opener at 11:00 a.m. Friday against No. 10 Long Beach State University, a team they lost to 17-5 back on September 8.
