The University of Redlands men's water polo team used a four-goal outburst in the third quarter to break open the stalemate against the Chapman University Panthers during Wednesday's Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) showdown on the road. Although the home team made a late push, the Bulldogs held on for the hard-fought 9-8 win.
During the opening quarter, shots and goals came at a premium, with each team notching one score through the first eight minutes. Senior attacker Grant Curry (San Diego, CA) found junior center-defender Carl Matthews (Yorba Linda, CA) with 0:56 left on the clock to tie it up.
The offensive efforts started to click for both teams in the second stanza, beginning with sophomore utility player Jasen Swan's (Glendora, CA) unassisted goal less than 90 seconds into the action. After back-to-back netters for the Panthers, Redlands immediately responded with consecutive goals of its own, as Curry added a goal and an assist, and junior center Cooper Krause (Denver, CO) found the back of the net.
With one more Panther netter coming in the second, the teams headed into halftime with a knotted 4-4 tally.
The Bulldogs made the necessary adjustments and came out firing in the third. Senior center-defender Ilan Dayan (Sao Paulo, Brazil), Kerwin, junior utility player Kyle Jackson (Naperville, IL), and first-year attacker Tor Cole (Malibu, CA) each supplied goals by the 2:16-mark of the frame.
In addition, sophomore goalkeeper Chris Martinez (Santa Ana, CA) did his part to limit the Panthers to one goal in that quarter. He finished with nine saves on the night.
Leading 8-5, the Bulldogs orchestrated one more goal, with this one coming off a long pass from Martinez into the hands of Kerwin for the eventual game-winner with 5:24 left in the game.
Although Chapman made a lucrative final push, Redlands held on for the 9-8 SCIAC victory.
Redlands (5-10, 3-1 SCIAC) hosts Fordham University (NY) and McKendree University (IL) on Thursday, October 4, at 4 and 7 p.m., respectively.