LA VERNE, Calif. – The University of Redlands women's water polo team (4-15, 2-5 SCIAC) held the University of La Verne to just seven goals on the road Wednesday evening, but their offense managed only four goals themselves as they dropped their Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) game, 7-4.
Lucia Notaro (Ventura, CA) found Marlie Potocki (Joliet, Ill.) for the game's first goal at the 6:13 mark of the first period. After a Leopard goal that tied the game up a minute later, Kiera Federline (Ashland, OR) helped the Bulldogs take advantage of a powerplay assisting Aubree Nabors (Conroe, TX) for a 2-1 U of R lead with 3:57 to play in the opening quarter.
La Verne, though, came back with the next three tallies as Redlands found themselves trailing by two, 4-2, with less than three minutes to play in the opening half.
In the final minute and a half Ainsley Killian (Beaverton, OR) found Notaro to cut the deficit in half heading into the break. Notaro then scored her second in-a-row midway through the third as the game was tied at four with 4:03 on the clock.
Despite holding the Leopards scoreless for almost eight minutes, the Bulldogs conceded twice to end the third and gave up another in the first minute of the fourth, while their offense was unable to find a way past the La Verne keeper as their comeback came up short.
Notaro was the lone Bulldog with multiple points thanks to her two goals and one assist. She also added three drawn exclusions and a steal. Brooklyn Green (Fontana, CA) and Federline had two drawn exclusions each. In goal Natalie Abril (Rancho Cucamonga, CA) had nine saves in the first half and Sofia Mather (Riverside, CA) made seven saves in the second.
Redlands returns to the Thompson Aquatic Center (TAC) this Saturday, March 21 at 12:00 p.m. (noon) for a non-conference game against Macalester College.
