CLAREMONT, Calif. – The University of Redlands Men's Water Polo team (3-13, 2-0 SCIAC) played two games at the Gary Troyer Tournament Friday afternoon, falling 14-8 to Concordia University Irvine (CUI) before dropping to California State University, Fullerton 17-12.
Game 1 (Concordia University Irvine; L, 14-8)
The Bulldogs and Eagles were tied at one after eight minutes as both defenses got off to a strong start. Joseph Madigan's (Arlington, VA) goal with 3:37 on the clock was the lone score for Redlands.
After a spell of nearly 10 minutes with only one goal conceded, the Bulldog defense allowed four goals in the second quarter with Tim Jensen's (Elmhurst, Ill.) goal being the lone tally for the U of R as they went into the intermission down 5-2.
Camilo Solis (Camarillo, CA) found Brody Nielsen (Capitola, CA) for an even strength goal in the opening two minutes of the second half, but that was the only time the Maroon and Grey found the back of the net as they went into the final quarter down eight, 11-3.
Five of the final eight goals came from the Bulldogs, including the last four. Tanner Stagner (Laguna Niguel, CA) assisted Lennon Franklin (Redlands, CA) on the first with 7:32 to play before Brady Bailey's (Ramona, CA) tally with 3:58 remaining started a 4-0 scoring run to end the game.
The other three goals during the final push came from Oliver Finley (Cape Town, South Africa), Harrison DeCourcy (Alameda, CA), and a Sebas Maccalla (Altadena, CA) assisted, Oliver Child (Dana Point, CA) goal in the final :10 seconds.
It was a fairly clean game with 13 total exclusions (9-4). Neither side, though, made the other pay for going down a player as they combined to go 0-12 in powerplay situations.
Jensen and Jake Simpson (El Cajon, CA) each had a drawn exclusion and two steals. Nielsen, Finley, and Troy Barker (Roseville, CA) also had two steals. Barker added four saves in 24 minutes as the starting keeper. Nathan Gattorna (Carlsbad, CA) had two saves in the final quarter.
Game 2 (Cal State Fullerton; L, 17-12)
In the final game of the day for the Bulldogs, they posted another strong fourth quarter performance but the deficit was too large to overcome as they lost their final game at the tournament against Cal State Fullerton.
Despite the large deficit after three quarters, Finley and Michael Villagran (Glendora, CA) got the Bulldogs off to a 2-0 lead, which the U of R held under the five-minute mark in the first. Madigan assisted Finley's goal.
Following the quick two tallies Redlands managed just two goals the remainder of the half as they trailed by five, 9-4, at the break. Stephen Ramirez (Pasadena, CA) assisted Adam Lambert (Adam Lambert, CA) on the third goal and Franklin scored the fourth.
In the third Franklin, Jensen and Simpson all scored. The last of the goals came from Jensen with a second remaining in the third as the lead for the Titans was cut to seven, 15-8, after 24 minutes.
That final goal of the third, though, sparked another 4-0 run for the Bulldogs, which pulled them to within four, 15-11, with 4:52 still to play. The rest of the game, however, was won by the Titans 2-1 as Lambert scored on a powerplay for the final goal of the day.
Jensen finished with four goals, while Franklin and Lambert each had two. Barker made seven saves and had a steal between the posts.
Redlands does not play on the second day of the tournament, but they do host Air Force Academy at the Thompson Aquatic Center (TAC) at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday, October 5.
