The University of Redlands women's water polo team made the short trek to Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges on Saturday for a Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) match against the Athenas. A slow start put the Bulldogs in an early hole, which ultimately led to the 7-10 loss.
After CMS jumped out to a 4-0 lead, Redlands worked to cut the deficit in half with back-to-back scores to end the first period. Junior defender Carmen Gardner (South San Francisco, CA) and junior center Kolby Kahahawai (Kailua, HI) each found the back of the net to make it 2-4.
The teams traded two scores apiece during the back-and-forth second quarter, with CMS maintaining a two-goal advantage. Sophomore attacker Olivia Allen (Santa Monica, CA) and Gardner kept Redlands in the mix with one goal apiece.
After nearly six scoreless minutes of the third quarter, CMS broke the seal with a pair of goals to pull slightly away for an 8-4 advantage.
Nonetheless, the Bulldogs managed to close out the final 39 seconds of the frame with a 2-1 run, as junior attacker Sami Walker (Taylorsville, UT) and Allen each fired one past the Athenas' goalkeeper.
Midway through the fourth quarter, Allen pulled the Maroon and Gray within two at 7-9 with her third goal of the game. But CMS kept the Bulldogs at bay and held on for the 10-7 decision.
Redlands (7-21, 5-8 SCIAC) heads to Chapman University on Wednesday, April 18, for the final SCIAC game of the regular season. The Bulldogs square off against the Panthers at 7 p.m. in Orange.