The University of Redlands men’s water polo team took on a tough slate on Saturday and Sunday at the Inland Empire Classic in Redlands and emerged with a 2-3 record in its five tilts.

Against the No. 10 University of the Pacific, senior drivers Marc Hicks (Granada Hills, CA) Clint Stevenson (South Jordan, UT) and Erik Grosshans (Oxnard, CA) all scored twice, but the Bulldogs fell in the end, 8-12. Junior center Miran Terzic (Mostar, Bosna i Hercegovina) and senior center Ryan Floersch (San Jose, CA) also added one apiece to round out Redlands’ goal scorers. Between the pipes for the Maroon and Gray, senior goalkeeper Teddy Trowbridge (Mercer Island, WA) stopped four shots.

Seeking redemption from its first loss of the event, Redlands took on a Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) team in Occidental College and won, 12-9. Terzic caused problems for the Tiger defense, netting a team-high four goals. Freshman driver Zac Chierici (Millbrae, CA) and junior driver Bo Sidhu (Indio, CA) found the back of the net twice while Grosshans, senior central defender Ian Starkie (Arroyo Grande, CA), R. Floersch and junior driver Andrew Fischer (Highland, CA) captured one score apiece. Three goalkeepers contributed to the Bulldogs’ cause as sophomore goalkeeper Ben Ballard (Riverside, CA), freshman goalkeeper Jessie Gunther (Perris, CA) and senior goalkeeper Jack Amaral (Porterville, CA) combined for seven stops.

Finally, the Maroon and Gray closed out its first day with a lopsided defeat at the hands of No. 8 UC Irvine, 8-21. Terzic was the lone Redlands player to score more than once, contributing two goals. Hicks, senior driver Brent Dotters (Porterville, CA), junior center Blake vanHartesvelt (Mercer Island, WA), R. Floersch, Fischer and sophomore driver Jeff Parsons (Newark, CA) all fired shots past the Anteater goalkeeper once. Trowbridge and Gunther split time in net, notching four and two saves, respectively.

Redlands found itself on the losing end of a 9-10 sudden-death overtime thriller against No. 17 UC Davis on Sunday, dropping to 1-3 on the classic. After being down 0-3 in the first quarter, the Bulldogs poured on four unanswered goals to go up 4-3. Following a back-and-forth battle in remainder of regulation, the score was tied at eight heading into the final possession. Trowbridge stopped the Aggies in the waning seconds to send the contest into overtime. UC Davis broke a 9-9 tie in the sudden-death overtime period to stamp a win for the Aggies. Grosshans kept the Maroon and Gray in the game throughout, scoring five goals. Terzic added two points to the scoreboard in favor of the Bulldogs while Dotters and vanHartesvelt tallied one goal apiece. Trowbridge corralled 10 saves in between the posts for the Maroon and Gray.

Finally, Redlands regained its swagger with a 15-12 victory in a barnburner against Chapman University in the final game of the classic. Terzic beat out the Panther goalkeeper on four occasions, leading the Bulldogs. Dotters buried three goals while vanHartesvelt and Grosshans ripped two shots apiece into the back of the net. In addition, Hicks, Stevenson, senior central defender John Floersch (San Jose, CA) and Fischer each added one score. Defending the Redlands net, Trowbridge halted 12 shots.

Redlands (4-6) takes a two-week break from competition before heading to Santa Clara University for the Bronco Invitational, which runs from Sept. 26-27. Please check www.goredlands.com in the upcoming weeks for a tournament schedule.