The third-seeded University of Redlands women's water polo team faced the No. 1 Cal Lutheran University Regals in the championship game of the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Postseason Tournament on Sunday morning in Thousand Oaks.  After trailing early, the Bulldogs worked to make the necessary adjustments but fell short in the 6-11 decision.

The game began with both teams warming up their offenses with multiple shots off the mark, as neither squad scored in the opening five minutes.  However, that changed when CLU got on the board on a penalty shot with 3:40 left on the first-quarter clock.

Although the Regals scored three more before the end of the stanza, Redlands pulled one back with 55 seconds remaining, when sophomore attacker Alyssa Baratelle (Lake Elsinore, CA) found the back of the net off junior attacker Holly Kvanvig's (Beaverton, OR) assist.

CLU went on to build a 7-1 lead by the 5:21 mark of the second stanza, forcing Redlands into an uphill battle. Baratelle elevated the Maroon and Gray's offense with back-to-back goals over the next few minutes, with Kvanvig and senior attacker Kelly Klish (Glenview, IL) delivering the assists.

With about 90 seconds left in the quarter, senior attacker Katelynn Holloman (Wildomar, CA) drew an exclusion, which set up the Bulldogs' fourth goal of the game.  After each team took a timeout, first-year attacker Courtney Sawin (Tacoma, WA) sent a perfect pass to sophomore attacker Katrina Nielsen (Houston, TX), who fired it past the CLU goalkeeper on a powerplay.

However, the Regals answered to extend their lead back to four by the midway point of the game.

Amidst multiple turnovers and ejections on both sides, the teams battled in a close, third quarter, with CLU earning a pair of goals to make it 10-4.

Following a timeout, the Bulldogs put Head Coach Chris Gielen's plan into play with 6:17 left in the game.  After working the ball around, Redlands looked to first-year attacker Kaitlynn Pierceall (Beaumont, CA) to convert Sawin's pass into a goal.

In the remaining few minutes, the teams locked down on defense to limit each other to only one more score, resulting in the 11-6 final.  For the Maroon and Gray, first-year attacker Emily Feliciano (Tacoma, WA) sent one into the back of the net on the final possession of the game.

Redlands completes the modified season with a 2-4 record and looks forward to more action next year.