The No. 18 University of Redlands men's water polo team opened the Inland Empire Classic against two nationally-ranked, Division I foes during Saturday's competition, but missed out on earning the upset. The Bulldogs suffered a 2-19 loss to the second-ranked University of California at Los Angeles in the morning, before falling to No. 8 UC Santa Barbara by a score of 8-17 in the afternoon.
Against the Bruins, the match started out hot with both teams scoring within their first few possessions. After UCLA took an early 1-0 lead, the Bulldogs responded when senior center Clint Freeman (Brentwood, CA) nailed a behind-the-back shot into the back of the net. The Bruins quickly answered by adding a goal to make it 2-1 at the end of the first quarter.
In the middle of the second period, the Bulldogs battled on defense with two standout blocks that then led to a key turnover. These defensive stops gave the momentum back to the Maroon and Gray, allowing them to circle the ball to set up a great shot on goal by junior driver Michael Robinson (Corona, CA).
Following a UCLA player ejection, Freeman added the Bulldogs' last goal of the game in the third quarter with a skip shot into the net.
The No. 2 Bruins continued their strong defensive pressure, making it difficult for Redlands to score. The Bulldogs fell by a score of 19-2 to the national powerhouse.
The 18th-ranked Bulldogs dove back into the pool later in the afternoon to take on No. 6 UC Santa Barbara but came up short of the upset in an 8-17 final.
The Gauchos exploded for an early 3-0 advantage, but the Maroon and Gray quickly responded by drawing an ejection on a UCSB player. Senior center-defender David Sekula (LaGrange, IL) rifled a goal to tighten the score at 3-1. The Bulldogs rallied again with a defensive stop by Freeman, who continued down the pool to make it a one-goal game.
Redlands battled to keep the score within striking distance at 2-5 by the end of the first period.
In the middle of the second stanza, Robinson added his second goal of the day to make the score 3-6.
Freeman led the way for the Bulldogs after nailing his fifth goal of the day with a breakaway into the back of the net. Not only was he a power on offense but also defensively, as he made many great stops.
Redlands continued to battle against the sixth-ranked Gauchos by moving the ball around the pool, trying to find open looks into the goal. Senior driver Alex Keith (Bellevue, WA) scored the Bulldogs' last goal in the fourth quarter with a sweet shot past the goalkeeper.
Senior goalkeeper Tyler Abbott (Alta Loma, CA) and sophomore goalkeeper Christian Jamison (San Bernardino, CA) split time in the cage today, with both showing skills with multiple big-time saves.
After two tough matches against national powerhouses, the Bulldogs face familiar foe, Whittier College, in a scrimmage later this afternoon.
The Inland Empire Classic continues on Sunday, with the Bulldogs (1-5) facing Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) rivals, Pomona-Pitzer College and Occidental College at 9 a.m. and 2:30 p.m., respectively.
