The University of Redlands men's water polo team suffered a tough, 7-8 loss in Thousand Oaks against Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) foe, Cal Lutheran University, on Tuesday afternoon. In a tale of two halves, the Bulldogs gained a slight 4-3 lead through the half but saw a role reversal in the final quarter.
After giving up an early goal, the Maroon and Gray bounced back with a successful penalty shot from junior utility player Kyle Jackson (Naperville, IL) to even the score. Senior center-defender Sean Todd (Highland, CA) gave the Bulldogs the upper hand with a goal at the 1:27-mark of the opening frame, while junior attacker Carter Kerwin (Bakersfield, CA) fired one into the net to close out the first with a 3-1 Redlands advantage. These two goals came off crafty assists by senior attacker Ty Williams (Rancho Cucamonga, CA) and junior attacker Tyler Strabel (Canyon Lake, CA), respectively.
Despite a goal from the Kingsmen to start the second, Redlands responded with a power-play score from Strabel to increase its lead to 4-2. The half ended with a tough exclusion for the Bulldogs that led to a score for Cal Lutheran, which sent the teams into the break in a tight 4-3 tally.
The defensive-heavy third quarter went back and forth with each team denying multiple shots. Sophomore goalkeeper Chris Martinez (Santa Ana, CA) made three saves for Redlands, while the defense came up with three blocks and forced three turnovers. Unfortunately, the Kingsmen scored in the final six seconds to tie the game at 4-4.
After the teams traded goals to start the fourth, Cal Lutheran gained an 8-5 lead by the 3:03-mark of the period.
Refusing to go away, the Bulldogs attempted a comeback that began with junior attacker Spencer Allen's (Seal Beach, CA) goal with 2:45 left on the clock. The Maroon and Gray kept up the pressure by adding another score less than a minute later but ran out of time for the late-game rally.
Redlands (10-12, 4-3 SCIAC) returns home to the Thompson Aquatic Center on Thursday, October 18, to take on the Beavers of Caltech at 7 p.m.