The University of Redlands men's water polo team headed to Whittier College for a Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) match on Saturday morning. While competing in their second-straight road-match, the Bulldogs fell to the Poets by a tight score of 7-8.

Early in the first quarter, Whittier got on the board to take a 1-0 lead, but senior goalkeeper Tyler Abbott (Alta Loma, CA) kept the Poets out of the net for the rest of the period.

However, Whittier rallied for a big offensive showing in the second stanza, earning a 5-1 lead before the Bulldogs responded to cut the deficit to three.

The Maroon and Gray continued to rally during the third quarter, scoring four goals to trail by only one at 6-7.

Both teams tightened up their respective defenses in the final frame, with the Poets nabbing the eventual game-winner, while Redlands converted only one score to result in the final tally.

Senior center Clint Freeman (Brentwood, CA) led the Bulldogs' offense with a hat trick, while sophomore driver John Koning (Poway, CA) tossed in a pair of netters. Junior driver Michael Robinson (Corona, CA) and freshman driver Zac Polmanteer (Long Beach, CA) rounded out the scoring with one apiece.

Abbott finished with six saves before giving way to freshman goalkeeper Chris Sekula (LaGrange, IL), who also tallied six stops.

The Bulldogs (12-11, 1-1 SCIAC) look forward to competing at home this Saturday in an 11 a.m. SCIAC bout against Chapman University.