The University of Redlands men's water polo team headed to Caltech this morning for their first Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) match of the day. The team overtook the Beavers with a big third quarter to eventually win, 15-9. The Maroon and Gray then dropped a 9-13 decision to Pomona-Pitzer Colleges in their nightcap at home.
Redlands and Caltech traded scores in the first eight minutes of action, with the Bulldogs holding a slight, 3-2 lead to begin the second.
The offense started to find its rhythm, tallying four-straight power-play goals to start the quarter. Senior attacker Spencer Allen (Long Beach, CA) nabbed the first, while first-year center Conner Strabel (Canyon Lake, CA), junior attacker Chris Frejlach (Rancho Cucamonga, CA), and sophomore attacker Tor Cole (Malibu, CA) added to the firepower.
The third and fourth proved to be a total team effort, as many rookie Bulldogs made a significant impact. First-year attackers Drake Moody (Camarillo, CA), Reed Caron (Rancho Murrieta, CA), Nathan Rucker-Jensen (Malibu, CA), Ethan Beatty (Denver, CO), and first-year center Michael Driscoll (Escondido, CA) all contributed either a goal or an assist to send Redlands home with a 15-9 win.
Fast-forward hours later to this evening's game against Pomona-Pitzer at the TAC.
Despite the Sagehens jumping on the board first, Frejlach capitalized on a penalty shot to cut the deficit to 1-2 with 1:32 left to go in the first. But Pomona-Pitzer tacked on two more goals at the end of the period to take a 4-1 lead heading into the second stanza.
The Maroon and Gray got going early with a pair of scores from junior attacker Jasen Swan (Glendora, CA) and Allen to bring the game back to within one score at 3-4 at the 6:31-mark in the second. The teams traded goals up until the break to head into halftime with Redlands down 5-6.
To start the third quarter, senior attacker Kyle Jackson (Naperville, IL) connected with Allen for the second time this game to knot the contest at 6-all about a minute in.
The Sagehens answered with a 3-0 run over the next few minutes to gain a 9-6 advantage at the 4:13-minute mark. Senior center Cooper Krause (Denver, CO) found the back of the net on their next possession, but Pomona-Pitzer took advantage of a power play with just five seconds remaining to take a 10-7 lead into the final period.
Although Jackson and Frejlach cut into their deficit with a goal each in the fourth, the Sagehens protected their lead with three scores to end the Bulldogs night in a 9-13 loss.
For the game, Allen, Krause, and Frejlach each scored two goals, while junior goalkeeper Chris Martinez (Santa Ana, CA) led the game with 16 saves. Jackson earned a team-high three assists.
Redlands (11-9, 4-2 SCIAC) hits the road for a SCIAC matchup against Whittier College on Wednesday night, October 16, at 7 p.m.