IRVINE, Calif. – The University of Redlands men's water polo team (0-2) dropped a pair of competitive games against Division I programs at the UC Irvine Invitational Saturday falling by one in the final minute to George Washington University (GWU) and then by five to California State University, Fullerton (CSUF) after they were tied late in the third quarter.
Game (George Washington; L, 12-11)
The Bulldogs got their season-opening goal from Joseph Madigan (Arlington, VA) who converted on a five-meter penalty. Following a Revolutionary goal, Zach Dortch (Alameda, CA) assisted Jake Simpson (El Cajon, CA) that gave the Bulldogs a 2-1 lead after eight minutes.
GWU scored the opening goal of the second period that tied things up before Nick Davidson (Honolulu, HI) found Adam Lambert (St. Louis, MO) for the first of three unanswered tallies for the Maroon and Grey. The other two came from Dortch off a Samson Casem (Long Beach, CA) assist and Camilo Solis (Camarillo, CA) off a feed from Davidson.
After conceding the final goal of the first half, Redlands then allowed GWU to score the first two of the third quarter, which leveled things at 5-5.
Each team then scored, with Matthew Wheeler (Visalia, CA) finishing for the Bulldogs, before Redlands reclaimed their multi-goal lead thanks to a powerplay connection from Lambert and a second tally for Wheeler at the 1:25 mark of the third.
In a game of runs, the Revolutionaries responded with a second 3-0 surge, which put the Bulldogs behind by one, 9-8, with 6:33 on the clock in the final quarter. Johnny Starr (Bakersfield, CA) and Blake Minkler (Yucaipa, CA), though,found the back of the net in response to the GWU run to help Redlands go on top 10-9 with 4:56 remaining.
Over the next minute and a half, however, the Revolutionaries picked up a pair of powerplay opportunities and were successful each time, going back in front by one, 11-10.
With the two-minute mark looming, Madigan found an open Oliver Finley (Cape Town, South Africa) in a 6-on-5 situation that tied the game at 11-11.
That goal, though, would be their last as GWU scored the game winner with :44 seconds on the clock. Redlands did get two shots on target in an attempt to force extra time, but both were saved.
Matias Sheridan (Honolulu, HI) came off the bench, and despite getting the loss, made eight saves, while only allowing five goals across the final 16 minutes.
Game 2 (Cal State Fullerton; L, 13-8)
In their second game of the invitational, the Bulldogs held another lead after eight minutes, this time over the Titans of Cal State Fullerton, thanks to goals from Simpson, Starr, and Dortch, which put them up one, 3-2.
In the second quarter, though, the Titans would find the offense scoring three of the four goals with Lennon Franklin's (Redlands, CA) tally on a powerplay being Redlands' lone tally. Despite scoring just once, Redlands trailed by only one, 5-4, at the half.
Less than a minute into the second half Wheeler found Starr to even the game at five. With CSUF responding with a 2-0 run, Dortch and Simpson came back and tied the game at seven with 4:11 to go in the third.
Starr's game-tying goal with two minutes on the clock in the third would be the final goal for the Bulldogs as the Titans scored the final five tallies of the game.
Across the two games the Bulldogs played (Other teams played four across two days), Sheridan made eight saves, which tied for the ninth most, and Madigan averaged 1.5 steals per game, which was the second most.
Redlands returns home for the Inland Empire Classic beginning Friday, September 4 at the Thompson Aquatic Center (TAC). They host UC Irvine at 9:00 a.m. and Concordia University Irvine at 3:00 p.m. Friday before playing two more games Saturday, September 5 against Cal Baptist University (8:00am) and Cal State Fullerton (2:00pm).
