REDLANDS, Calif. – The University of Redlands Men's Water Polo team (17-12) advanced to the USA Water Polo Division III Collegiate National Championship game for the third consecutive season following a 16-5 semifinal win over Augustana College (Illinois) Saturday afternoon at the Thompson Aquatic Center (TAC).
It was all Bulldogs in the opening quarter as they shut out the Vikings, while going in front 5-0. The opening goal of the game came from Max Wagener (Piedmont, CA) at the 4:55 mark. Then over the final 3:40 Harrison DeCourcy (Alameda, CA), Callum Norman (Johannesburg, South Africa), Wagener, and Spencer Clinton (Cypress, CA) would all score with Dean Moody (Camarillo, CA) and Nicolas Fedotov (Miami Beach, FL) picking up the assists.
Tanner Whitson (St. Louis, MO) made it 7-0 with a pair of goals in the first minute of the second quarter as Wagener and Roberto Barrera (Guanajuato, Mexico) earned the assists.
Following the first Augustana goal, the Bulldogs then held the Vikings scoreless the rest of the half as Moody, Clinton, Wagener, and Tanner Stagner (Laguna Niguel, CA) made it 11-1 after 16 minutes. Adam Lambert (St. Louis, MO) got his first assist of the game on Clinton's goal.
With reserves in the pool early in the third period, Redlands was unable to find an offensive rhythm until Stagner scored at the 5:16 mark. Moody and DeCourcy finished off the quarter with goals pushing the lead to twelve, 14-2, heading to the fourth.
The Vikings scored three times in the fourth quarter. The Tanner's (Whitson and Wagner), though, scored twice to secure the double-digit win.
Whitson, Wagener, and Stagner all finished with hat tricks while DeCourcy, Clinton, and Moody posted a pair of two-goal games. Defensively Whitson had a big game with four steals and Clinton again led the way with three drawn exclusions.
In goal Barrera made eight saves for an .800 save percentage in 24 minutes. Troy Barker played the final eight minutes and had a save.
The Bulldogs advance to Championship Sunday, December 8 to take on No. 2 Chapman University, who narrowly beat Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) 12-11, in the other semi-final. The national championship game is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. inside the Thompson Aquatic Center.
