REDLANDS, Calif. – The University of Redlands Men's Water Polo team celebrated their eight seniors at the Thompson Aquatic Center Saturday night in front of a raucous crowd completing a 10-9 comeback win against Chapman University.
Redlands improves to 13-12, 5-5 SCIAC, complete the season sweep over Chapman and currently sit in fifth place within the conference standings. Prior to the game Head Coach Ryan Hall recognized his seniors, which included Liam Murphy (Placentia, CA), Brandon Khalil (Bakersfield, CA), Michael Driscoll (Escondido, CA), Ethan Beaty (Denver, CO), Drake Moody (Camarillo, CA), Michael Maher (Fremont, CA), Reed Caron (Sacramento, CA), and Nathaniel Rucker-Jensen (Agoura, CA).
The Bulldogs and Panthers traded goals in the first and second quarters with CU opening up the scoring at the 6:59 mark of the opening period. The next possession down the pool Andrew Higginson (San Diego, CA) was able to beat his defender drawing a penalty, which he would convert putting UR on the scoreboard.
Spencer Sellwood (Irvine, CA) and Austin Galanski (Bakersfield, CA) would put up the other two goals in the quarter for the Bulldogs coming with under two minutes to play. The Panthers would create the first multi-goal lead of the contest with a pair of goals to end the first and start the second moving the score to 5-3.
Higginson finished his second penalty and Ron Gvishi (Kiryat Tivón, Israel) then made it a one-goal game with 2:12 left in the half, but the U of R still trailed 7-5.
In the opening four plus minutes of the third quarter, Higginson scored his third and fourth goals of the game with assists coming from Andrew Sorensen (Long Beach, CA) and Spencer Clinton (Cypress, CA) as the deficit was again only one, 8-7.
Redlands would experience their first extended offensive dry spell as they could not find the back of the net for over nine minutes. During this stretch the Bulldogs defensive unit stood tough conceding just one goal keeping them in the game at 9-7.
Higginson who was responsible for four of the seven goals for Redlands up to this point was able to connect again, this time for his fifth goal of the game coming with 3:17 left in the period thanks to an assist from Moody.
The Bulldogs would use this momentum to score three unanswered capped off with Eamon Greathouse (Bainbridge Island, WA) adding the game-winning goal with :52 seconds remaining. This coming after Moody would convert for the equalizer at the 2:25 mark.
Outside of the five goals and an assist from Higginson, the nine other goals and assists came from seven different players.
Khalil got the start between the posts and finished with four saves playing the first half. Murphy stepped in for the final 16:00 minutes and came up big with six saves, while allowing just two goals as he posted a .750 save percentage.
The Bulldogs stay at home this week with a non-conference game against Biola University on Wednesday, November 9 beginning at 4:00 p.m. They then end their Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) schedule on the road at Whittier College on Saturday, November. 12 with game time set for 11:00am.