The University of Redlands men's water polo competed at home for the first time this season by hosting the 2016 Inland Empire Classic at the Thompson Aquatic Center on Saturday. The Bulldogs garnered split results against familiar foes by earning a 13-11 win over Pomona-Pitzer Colleges, before falling in overtime to Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges by a score of 9-10.
Against the Sagehens, Redlands took the lead in the second period when junior center Matt Shippen (Santa Maria, CA) and sophomore center Billy Clifford (Redlands, CA) fired off back-to-back goals to make it 4-3. Shippen kept the offensive pressure on for the Maroon and Gray and extended his team's advantage to 5-3 with 1:22 remaining in the stanza.
Although Pomona-Pitzer cut the deficit to one on two occasions, the Bulldogs remained in front through the final whistle by using a well-balanced scoring attack. In the final two quarters, junior center-defender Max Taylor (Henderson, NV) fired off three goals, while Shippen added two more scores for a team-high five in the game.
In addition, Clifford finished with two goals, including an impressive, quick-pass play on a 6-on-5 opportunity.
Senior goalkeeper Chris Sekula (LaGrange, IL) provided stellar defense in the Bulldog cage by racking up nine saves in the victory.
Redlands returned to action to take on the CMS Stags in the middle of the afternoon. While facing a 3-3 tie, the Bulldogs' offense seemed to stall, as the visiting squad pulled away to grab a 7-3 advantage at the midway point of the game.
However, the Maroon and Gray refused to go away, continually clawing its way out of the hole while holding CMS to just two scores through the end of regulation. Early in the third stanza, senior center-defender Danny Hartwig (Vista, CA) got things started for the Bulldogs, before senior driver Zac Polmanteer (Long Beach, CA), and freshman driver Carter Kerwin (Bakersfield, CA) each found the back of the net to make it 6-8.
During the fourth quarter, Shippen and Hartwig fired off consecutive goals for the Bulldogs to even the count at eight apiece. Sophomore driver Ty Wiliams' (Rancho Cucamonga, CA) netter with 4:12 left in the game gave Redlands its first lead of the contest.
Unfortunately for the Maroon and Gray, the Stags mustered one final score to send the game into overtime.
After neither team scored in the first extra period, CMS converted the sudden-victory goal with 27 seconds left on the clock.
As the team's last line of defense, Sekula provided an impressive performance that culminated in 14 saves, including four big stops in the fourth frame.
Redlands (1-5) finishes out the Inland Empire Classic on Sunday, September 11, by taking on No. 9 Pepperdine University at 10:20 a.m. and then Occidental College at 3 p.m.
For additional results from the Inland Empire Classic, please visit the tournament page.
