REDLANDS, Calif. – On the final day of the Inland Empire Classic (IEC) the University of Redlands Men's Water Polo team (3-5) fell12-8 to T-No. 12 UC Santa Barbara and then beat Fresno Pacific University 16-9 to wrap up their four-game weekend 3-1.
Game 1 (UC Santa Barbara; L, 12-8)
The Bulldogs were held scoreless for more than four minutes and trailed 3-0 before Nicolas Fedotov (Miami Beach, FL) found Andrew Sorensen (Long Beach, CA) for their opening goal. Ron Gvishi (Kiryat Tivon, Israel) then assisted Max Wagener (Piedmont, CA) to make it a one-goal deficit with 1:42 to play.
In the second quarter Sorensen was the lone scorer as the U of R ended the first 16 minutes down 6-3.
Trailing by seven with less than two minutes to play in the third the Bulldogs again scored back-to-back goals as Dean Moody (Camarillo, CA) and Wagener each scored to make it a 10-5 game heading to the fourth.
Despite trailing by seven, 12-5, in the fourth, Moody, Brody Nielsen (Capitola, CA), and Wagener finished the game on a 3-0 run. Fedotov added two more assists and Joseph Madigan (Arlington, VA) set up the final goal.
Wagener had another hat trick. while Fedotov set up three goals and drew an exclusion. Moody had two goals, one assist, and five drawn exclusions. Harrison DeCourcy (Alameda, CA) also drew three exclusions. Roberto Barrera (Guanajuato, Mexico) had a steal and six saves.
Game 2 (Fresno Pacific University; W, 16-9)
The Bulldogs came out and took control of the game in the opening two minutes with goals from Adam Lambert (St. Louis, MO) and Fedotov.
Following goals from Wagener, Gvishi, and Jack Everett (Westlake Village, CA), the Bulldogs held a 5-1 lead early in the second quarter.
Fresno Pacific closed the gap to three with :21 seconds remaining in the half, but Moody found Fedotov with four seconds on the clock to help Redlands lead by four at the break.
The Sunbirds continued to push as they again made it a three-goal game, 10-7, in the final minute of the third, but the Bulldogs responded with a Moody goal to end the quarter and then scored three unanswered to begin the fourth. The first two came from Wagener and the last was from DeCourcy who made it 14-7.
Troy Barker (Roseville, CA) made the start and finished with a .500 save percentage and nine saves. He also had four steals and an assist.
Wagener finished his four games at the IEC with 14 goals, which was the second most. Moody had 10, placing him fifth. Fedotov's 11 assists were the most for the tournament and Gvishi's seven were fourth most. Tanner Whitson (St. Louis, MO) and DeCourcy both had two field blocks, tying them for second most.
Redlands now prepares for two games at the CSU Fullerton Invitational next Saturday, September 28 with games against the host Titans of Cal State Fullerton at 9:00 a.m. and then Biola University at noon.
