The University of Redlands men's water polo team concluded the UC Davis Aggie Invitational on Sunday, earning a huge upset-win over No. 17 San Jose State University, before falling to fourth-ranked University of the Pacific.
Against SJSU, the Bulldogs turned a first-quarter deficit into a slight lead and held on for the 11-10 victory to start the day off on a celebratory note. After trailing 2-5, the Bulldogs settled down to find their offensive rhythm while stepping up their defense. Redlands went on a 4-1 run through the second period and then extended that impressive play with a 3-1 showing in the third.
Senior center-defender Danny Hartwig (Vista, CA) set the tone by converting a power play midway through the second stanza, before junior center-defender Max Taylor (Henderson, NV) and senior driver Kyle Murata (Brea, CA) fired off back-to-back scores for the Maroon and Gray. Sophomore driver Ty Williams (Rancho Cucamonga, CA) capped off the lucrative stanza with a goal of his own.
With the score tied at six-all to start the third, the Bulldogs refused to let up, as Hartwig blasted a shot into the back of the net after receiving a pass from junior center Matt Shippen (Santa Maria, CA) for their first lead of the game. Less than 20 seconds later, senior driver Brandon Yee (Pacifica, CA) found Taylor to make it 8-6 with 5:36 remaining in the period. Following a SJSU goal, Shippen continued to serve as the team's ball-distributor, this time connecting with sophomore driver Aki Andersen (Laguna Beach, CA) for the Bulldogs' 10-7 advantage.
Although the Spartans battled back in the final stanza, Redlands never trailed and avoided overtime with a big-time save by senior goalkeeper Chris Sekula (LaGrange, IL) on the opponents' last-second effort. He finished the game with nine saves.
Taylor finished with a game-high four goals, to go along with an assist on Shippen's game-winning goal with 62 seconds left in the contest.
Redlands also squared off against the No. 4 University of the Pacific but suffered a 5-17 loss to the Tigers. Shippen provided two goals, while Sekula recorded 12 saves for the Maroon and Gray.
The Bulldogs (3-9) travel to Riverside for the Cal Baptist Lancer Invite on Friday, September 30, and Saturday, October 1. Redlands begins the tournament with Concordia University – Irvine at 3:45 p.m. on Friday.