The University of Redlands men's water polo team put together an exceptional effort at the Gary Troyer Tournament with a pair of solid wins against Iona College (NY) and Johns Hopkins University (MD) on Saturday.

In the first game of the day against Iona, the opening quarter was tightly contested, with each team only scoring one goal. The second stanza resulted in more offensive output, beginning with a netter from junior attacker Carter Kerwin (Bakersfield, CA) at the 6:19-mark. After the Gaels evened the tally at 2-2, Redlands gained goals from junior utility player Kyle Jackson (Naperville, IL) and junior attacker Spencer Allen (Seal Beach, CA) to push its lead to 4-2 at the break.

After the Gaels put one into the back of the net to start the third, the Bulldogs answered with a power-play goal from senior center Ilan Dayan (Sao Paulo, Brazil) that sparked a 4-1 run.  This culminated in a Kerwin goal that gave the Maroon and Gray an 8-4 advantage heading into the final quarter.

Redlands looked to put the game away early, as it built an 11-4 lead with 2:35 left in the contest. The Gaels made a push but only came to within six goals to lend the Bulldogs their first win of the day.

In the second contest, the Blue Jays earned the first goal of the game on their first possession to take a 1-0 lead.

However, the Bulldogs quickly answered, as junior center Cooper Krause (Denver, CO) evened the score with a tally at the 6:39-mark. After back-and-forth defensive play, Johns Hopkins finally broke the tie to go up, 2-1 with 4:12 to go in the first. The Blue Jays stretched the lead to 3-1 before the Maroon and Gray began its comeback with another Krause goal. Allen, who assisted Krause on his goal, notched one of his own for the 3-3 equalizer. Less than a minute later, Kerwin fired off the go-ahead goal to send the Bulldogs into the second quarter with a 4-3 lead.

With a similar start as the opening period, the Blue Jays knotted things up with another lucrative possession.

But the Bulldogs saw Krause break the stalemate, as he found the back of the net to give the Bulldogs a 5-4 lead at the 7:17-mark. This well-timed goal initiated an imposing 5-2 run, featuring goals from senior attacker Grant Curry (San Diego, CA), senior center Billy Clifford (Redlands, CA), Allen, and Jackson to head into the halftime break with a healthy, 10-6 lead.

Johns Hopkins attempted to score quickly once again, but this time, sophomore goalkeeper Chris Martinez (Santa Ana, CA) made the stop en route to making five saves in the match. The Bulldogs built their lead to as many as seven goals at 13-6 after Clifford's netter at the 3:49-mark in the third, but the Blue Jays began to close the gap with a goal before the end of the period.

Despite the Blue Jays' three goals in the fourth, the Maroon and Gray protected the lead for the 14-10 victory. Allen and Krause each produced an individual hat trick, while Allen also added the team's only assist.

Redlands (9-10, 3-1 SCIAC) remains on the road on Wednesday, October 10, with a Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) match against Pomona-Pitzer Colleges at 5 p.m.