The University of Redlands men's water polo team overcame a late-game deficit to prevail over the visiting Stags of Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges on Wednesday night under beautiful conditions at the Thompson Aquatic Center. Trailing by one with 5:11 to go in the game, the Bulldogs capitalized on back-to-back power plays for the 9-8 win in Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) competition.
After the Stags jumped on the board early in the game, the Maroon and Gray answered with a goal by junior attack player Grant Curry (San Diego, CA) off of an assist by freshman utility player Jasen Swan (Glendora, CA). Less than 30 seconds later, Redlands made it a 2-1 game when senior utility player Max Taylor (Henderson, NV) connected with junior attack player Ty Williams (Rancho Cucamonga, CA), who fired one past the goalkeeper.
However, CMS took advantage of a power play to even the tally by the end of the first quarter.
The second stanza allowed the Stags to earn a slight 5-4 lead, but a huge stop by freshman goalkeeper Chris Martinez (Santa Ana, CA) on a late penalty shot provided great momentum for the Bulldogs, as the teams entered halftime.
Redlands came out firing in the third quarter, as Curry, junior utility player Mitchell Walker (Taylorsville, UT), and sophomore utility player Kyle Jackson (Naperville, IL) each found the back of the net for the Maroon and Gray's 7-5 lead.
With 2:11 to go in the frame, CMS quickly responded with a score to make it a one-goal game.
The Stags stayed hot on offense early in the fourth and finally overtook the Bulldogs, 8-7, with just over five minutes left in the game.
Nonetheless, Redlands' tough defense forced a pair of power plays, which Curry effectively converted into goals for the eventual win, with the final one coming off of another Swan assist.
Although CMS had a chance to tie it up with one final possession, the Bulldog defense made the necessary stop, which allowed the home team to run out the clock and take home the win.
Curry lit up the scoreboard with five of the Bulldogs' nine goals. Martinez finished with 10 saves between the pipes.
Redlands (8-12, 3-2 SCIAC) heads to Occidental College on Saturday, October 14, for an 11 a.m. match against the Tigers.
