The University of Redlands men's water polo team traveled to nearby Riverside for the Cal Baptist University Lancer Invite on Friday and collected two wins in a productive outing. The Bulldogs stretched a 6-5 lead into an impressive 17-8 win over Concordia University – Irvine in the opener, before cruising to an 18-7 triumph over Citrus College to close out the day.
Against Concordia, the teams traded scores throughout the first period and a half, resulting in a slight Bulldog lead at 6-5. However, the Maroon and Gray quickly erupted for four unanswered goals by the 3:09-mark of the third frame, with sophomore driver Ty Williams (Rancho Cucamonga, CA) firing off two of them.
With a 10-5 lead, Redlands continued to press offensively while never allowing the Eagles to create any type of scoring rhythm. Early in the fourth frame, the Maroon and Gray orchestrated another impressive offensive outburst with three-straight goals, as freshman driver Spencer Allen (Long Beach, CA), sophomore driver Aki Andersen (Laguna Beach, CA), and freshman center Cooper Krause (Denver, CO) each found the back of the net.
Williams finished the win with two goals and an assist, while junior center Matt Shippen (Santa Maria, CA), sophomore center Billy Clifford (Redlands, CA), and Andersen each scored twice.
Senior goalkeeper Chris Sekula (LaGrange, IL) put up an impressive wall between the posts, recording 10 saves and snagging three steals.
Redlands jumped out to a 3-0 lead against Citrus and never looked back. Although the Owls cut the deficit to two late in the second quarter, the Bulldogs stayed in front through the final whistle. Senior center-defender Danny Hartwig (Vista, CA) fired off a team-high four goals, while junior driver Kevin Chapa (Carlsbad, CA) added three. Sekula remained fierce in the cage by racking up 10 saves in the win.
The Bulldogs (5-9) take on Fresno Pacific University at 9:20 a.m. and Whittier College at 4 p.m. in Saturday's slate of the CBU Lancer Invite.