REDLANDS, Calif. – The University of Redlands men's water polo team (9-11, 5-2 SCIAC) hosted No. 1 Pomona-Pitzer at the Thompson Aquatic Center (TAC) Wednesday evening falling 10-9, after conceding a 3-0 fourth quarter run.
The Sagehens got off to a quick 2-0 lead before a pair of Bulldog goals over the final 2:18 tied the game at two at the end of the opening eight minutes. The two Bulldog goals came from Blake Minkler (Yucaipa, CA) off a feed from Nick Davidson (Honolulu, HI) and Joseph Madigan (Arlington, VA) when Oliver Finley (Cape Town, South Africa) found him on a powerplay.
Just like the first, Pomona-Pitzer scored the first two goals of the second before Redlands got tallies from Davidson and Matthew Wheeler (Visalia, CA) over the final 1:48 of the first half.
A minute and 14 seconds into the second half Finley found Zach Dortch (Alameda, CA) for the Bulldogs' first lead of the game, 5-4. It would be short lived though as the Sagehens responded with two goals over the next two and a half minutes for a 6-5 U of R advantage.
For the third time in as many quarters, however, it was Redlands scoring last. This time Jake Simpson (El Cajon, CA) set up Dortch for his second of the third period and a 6-6 game after 24 minutes.
Three total goals over the first minute and a half of the final quarter kept the lead in the Bulldogs' hands, 8-7, thanks to Ossie Joplin (Kentfield, CA), from Minkler, and Johnny Starr (Bakersfield, CA), from Dortch.
The tough stretch came :31 seconds after Starr's goal as the Sagehens shut out the Bulldogs for more than six minutes, while their offense found the back of the net three times to give themselves a two-goal cushion, 10-8.
Camilo Solis (Camarillo, CA) would give Redlands life, finding Joplin with :21 seconds left on the clock, but nothing more came after that and the Bulldogs lost by one for the second time this season against a No. 1 team in Division III.
Joplin had a big evening with two goals and three drawn exclusions. Finley assisted on two goals, while drawing a pair of exclusions and recording a steal. Dortch had two goals, an assist, a drawn exclusion, and two steals. In goal Matias Sheridan (Honolulu, HI) played all 32 minutes with eight saves.
Redlands now prepares to make their longest trip out to Thousand Oaks this Saturday, October 24 at 11:00 a.m. when they take on California Luthera University in a game that has big third/fourth place implications in the conference standings.
