While continuing with its recent hot streak, the University of Redlands women's water polo team knocked off two non-conference foes on Tuesday at the Thompson Aquatic Center. The Bulldogs prevailed over Connecticut College by a score of 10-7, before cruising to a 14-3 decision against Washington & Jefferson College (PA).
With the victories, Redlands has won seven of its last eight games, including four in a row.
Against Connecticut, the Maroon and Gray jumped out to an early 4-0 lead and never looked back. Junior center-defender Deandra Van Houten (Huntington Beach, CA) book-ended the first-period offense for Redlands, while senior center Jaci Cochrane (San Bernardino, CA) and freshman driver Grace Cochran (Danville, CA) each scored one netter.
After earning a 5-2 advantage by the midway point of the game, Redlands fired off five unanswered scores in the third period to take a commanding lead. With efficiency and depth, the Bulldogs looked to five different players to find the back of the net during this spree.
Leading the offense, Cochrane, VanHouten, and Cochran combined for six of Redlands' 10 goals.
Senior goalkeeper Julie Lupfer (San Diego, CA) made seven stops in the win, before sophomore goalkeeper Alma Lopez (Northridge, CA) stepped into the action for the final minutes.
Much like the first contest, the Bulldogs never trailed after earning an early lead against Washington & Jefferson. This time, Redlands put together a first-half advantage of 7-1 with five different players scoring netters.
The Maroon and Gray continued to pour on the offense, extending the advantage to 12 goals less than a minute into the fourth frame. The stifling Bulldog defense refused to give up a goal for the majority of the game, yielding just two in the final 150 seconds.
Cochran led the Redlands attack with a hat-trick, while VanHouten, Cochrane, sophomore driver Annie Kinney (Newport Beach, CA), and freshman driver Yasi Nassiri-M (Evanston, IL) each scored twice.
Redlands (8-10) heads north for a four-game stretch this weekend. Saturday's games pit the Bulldogs against Azusa Pacific and the University of the Pacific at 2 and 4:30 p.m., respectively.
