The University of Redlands men's water polo team battled until the final whistle but came out on the losing end of Wednesday's road match against the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges Stags. In a high-scoring affair, the Bulldogs scored three late goals but came up short in the 10-12 decision against the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) foe.
The teams came out firing on offense, with each squad scoring three times in the first quarter. Senior attacker Grant Curry (San Diego, CA), junior center Cooper Krause (Denver, CO), and sophomore utility player Jasen Swan (Glendora, CA) all took advantage of power-plays to find the back of the net for the Bulldogs. Senior utility player Mitchell Walker (Taylorsville, UT), Swan, and sophomore attacker Chris Frejlach (Rancho Cucamonga, CA) each offered an assist as well.
The Stags managed to gain a 7-4 lead by the 2:01-mark of the second stanza, but Redlands refused to go away. The visitors closed within one with back-to-back netters by Krause off of consecutive assists from senior center-defender Ilan Dayan (Sao Paulo, Brazil).
Amidst a low-scoring third period, CMS stayed in front with a 9-7 lead, as the teams headed into the final frame. During the third, senior center Billy Clifford (Redlands, CA) notched the only goal for the Maroon and Gray, which came off a sweet pass from junior attacker Tyler Strabel (Canyon Lake, CA).
However, the Stags stretched their advantage to 12-7 with a hot start to the fourth quarter.
Nonetheless, Redlands kept battling and mustered three late goals, including senior attacker Grant Curry's (San Diego, CA) five-meter shot with 4:10 remaining in the game. Kerwin and junior utility player Kyle Jackson (Naperville, IL) each notched a goal but the Maroon and Gray's final rally fell short.
Sophomore goalkeeper Chris Martinez (Santa Ana, CA) supplied 10 saves in a solid effort.
Redlands (12-13, 6-4 SCIAC) returns home to the friendly confines of the Thompson Aquatic Center on Saturday, October 27, for an 11 a.m. SCIAC showdown against the Sagehens of Pomona-Pitzer Colleges. The Bulldogs also host an alumni game at 1:30 p.m. as part of the Homecoming festivities.