The 19th-ranked University of Redlands men's water polo team dove back into the pool for the second day of the Lancer Invitational at California Baptist University on Saturday, taking on two Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) opponents in Whittier College and the University of La Verne. The Bulldogs came out on top in both, defeating the Poets in a 9-5 decision and handling the Leopards by a score of 17-10.
In a tight battle against the rivals from Whittier, Redlands jumped out to an early lead when junior driver Michael Robinson (Corona, CA) put the first goal of the game into the back of the net. Senior driver Quinn Curl (San Mateo, CA) continued his hot streak of late, adding a goal in the final seconds of the quarter, resulting in a 3-1 lead for the Maroon and Gray.
In addition, defensive pressure was instrumental to the Bulldogs' first-quarter success, as senior goalkeeper Tyler Abbott (Alta Loma, CA) led the effort by recording four of his six saves.
The Bulldogs continued to shut down the Whittier offense, allowing only two goals through the second and third stanzas. In the third period, freshman goalkeeper Chris Sekula (LaGrange, IL) led the way with six saves to keep the Poets out of the net. Sophomore driver John Koning (Poway, CA) and junior center-defender David Sekula (LaGrange, IL) each added goals for a comfortable Redlands lead.
Whittier added two scores in the fourth stanza to make it a 9-5 game, but that was all the Poets could muster against the impressive Maroon and Gray squad.
Later in the afternoon, Redlands took down the Leopards of La Verne by a final score of 17-10. The Bulldogs started the game strong with goals from Robinson and Curl to make the score 3-0. Abbott was outstanding in the cage, notching four saves to maintain a safe 4-1 lead in the first quarter.
Senior center-defender Christian Ogawa (San Diego, CA) and senior center Grant Harrington (Poway, CA) both contributed to the Bulldog advantage in the second quarter.
During the third frame, Sekula continued to add to his solid showing with three saves, before giving way to sophomore goalkeeper Christian Jamison (San Bernardino, CA), who finished off the game with three more stops. Sophomore driver Paul Smallman (San Carlos, CA) and freshman center-defender Danny Hartwig (Vista, CA) each added scores in the third quarter to power the Maroon and Gray to victory.
After going undefeated at the Lancer Invitational, the Bulldogs (7-5) head to the UC Davis Aggie Shootout on September 28-29 for a challenging slate of opponents that begins with Cal Berkeley at 11:20 a.m. on Saturday.
