REDLANDS, Calif. – Amidst an intense battle with Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) foe Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges, the University of Redlands suffered a tough 11-10 loss on Wednesday at the Thompson Aquatic Center.
Redlands falls to 10-10, 3-3 SCIAC, while CMS moves to 10-11, 5-2 SCIAC.
Early on, the defense was solid on both sides of the pool, as both teams forced multiple turnovers and exclusions while limiting quality scoring chances. The only goal of the period came off Ron Gvishi's (Kiryat Tivon, Israel) hand to put Redlands on the board midway through the first period.
Max Wagener (Piedmont, CA) gave the Bulldogs a 2-0 lead by converting a penalty shot with 6:41 to go in the second. Brandon Khalil (Bakersfield, CA) impressed with three saves in quick succession to preserve Redlands' early advantage.
But CMS responded with a few defensive stops that led to a pair of goals in consecutive opportunities, including a penalty shot of its own, to even the tally at two apiece.
From here, the teams traded scores to finish out the first half with the Stags owning a slight 4-3 advantage at halftime. For Redlands, Alec Abrahamian (Glendale, CA) put a shot past the CMS goalkeeper with 2:21 remaining.
The trend continued in the third frame, with Gvishi tying things up off Wagener's assist, only to see CMS retake the lead with Gavin Rosser's goal. On Redlands' ensuing possession, Spencer Sellwood (Irvine, CA) found an open Andrew Higginson (San Diego, CA) to make it five apiece.
After another back-and-forth few minutes, the Stags took advantage of a few defensive miscues by the Bulldogs to earn a 9-6 lead through the end of the third.
Nonetheless, Redlands refused to go away, battling back with goals from Spencer Clinton (Cypress, CA) and Sellwood to keep the game within reach.
But late in the fourth, CMS effectively managed the clock and took care of the ball to hang on for the win. A final-second shot by Higginson made it an 11-10 final in favor of the Stags.
Aidan Nettlekoven racked up 19 saves for CMS, while Khalil provided eight for the Maroon and Grey.
Redlands hosts the University of La Verne on Saturday, October 22, for an 11 a.m. showdown on Homecoming at the Thompson Aquatic Center.