In a Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) road contest against Occidental College, the University of Redlands women's water polo team prevailed by a score of 12-4 on Thursday afternoon. The Bulldogs broke open a 4-3 halftime lead by outscoring the Tigers 8-1 in the final two quarters.
On the opening whistle, junior attacker Hunter Olivier (Indio, CA) secured the first sprint, which led to senior center Kolby Kahahawai's (Kailua, HI) goal 24 seconds later. After an Oxy turnover, senior attacker Katelyn Jenkins (Bellevue, WA) found the back of the net for the second goal of the game with 7:21 still left in the first. Following a defensive-heavy interlude, she scored once again about four minutes later, which helped Redlands carry a 3-1 lead into the next stanza.
The second period began similar to the first, as Kahahawai fired one past the Tiger goalkeeper to put the Maroon and Gray up, 4-1.
However, Occidental benefitted from a pair of costly Redlands penalties to cut the deficit to one at 3-4, which remained through halftime.
Jenkins eagerly came out of the break to score her second and third goals of the game and extend the Bulldogs' lead to 6-3 in the process. First-year attacker Holly Kvanvig (Beaverton, OR) kept it going with her first goal of the game to stretch Redlands' advantage to 7-3 as the teams headed into the fourth.
Early on, Kvanvig scored again, which sparked a four-goal charge by the Maroon and Gray that was capped off by senior attacker Wendy McAleer's (Simi Valley, CA) netter. As the action continued, the Tigers took advantage of a power-play, but sophomore attacker Kayla Takakura (Wailuku, HI) answered by tacking on the final goal of the game to carry the Bulldogs to a 12-4 victory.
Jenkins enjoyed a strong game with five goals for a season-high in addition to adding an assist and two steals. Kahahawai posted three goals and one steal, while first-year attacker Nicolette Ramirez (Whittier, CA) supplied two assists. Senior goalkeeper Kelly Grosswendt (Newbury Park, CA) protected the cage with 13 saves, which helped the Bulldog to hold the Tigers to a .182 shooting percentage.
Next up, Redlands (9-11, 3-2 SCIAC) hosts the 'Roos of Austin College (TX) in a non-conference matchup on Saturday, March 16. First sprint is set for 9 a.m. at the Thompson Aquatic Center.