The University of Redlands women's water polo team continued its challenging early-season schedule with four games at the Lancer Invitational on Friday and Saturday. Unfortunately, the Bulldogs came up short in every outing but showed great heart, tenacity, and development throughout the weekend.
The team opened the event with a 1-24 loss to NCAA Division I powerhouse, University of Southern California. Freshman driver Grace Cochran (Danville, CA) recorded the sole score for the Maroon and Gray.
During the team's second match, Redlands showed significant spunk by going toe-to-toe with Fresno Pacific University. After a back-and-forth contest, the opponents broke a four-all tie in the final period with a pair of goals. Although the Bulldogs pulled one back when senior center Jaci Cochrane (San Bernardino, CA) fired off a penalty shot with 1:33 remaining, they simply ran out of time to push past the Sunbirds and suffered a 5-6 loss. Senior goalkeeper Julie Lupfer (San Diego, CA) recorded seven saves in a complete-game showing.
Against Whittier College, Redlands faced an early hole to the Poets and never recovered en route to the 9-12 defeat. Cochrane and freshman center Madison Andres (Princeton, NJ) led the offense with two goals apiece.
Finally, the Maroon and Gray wrapped up the two-day event with a strong yet heartbreaking effort against Pomona-Pitzer Colleges in non-conference action. After jumping out to a 4-1 lead through the midway point of the second stanza, the Bulldogs struggled to contain the relentless attack of the Sagehens, who tied up the contest at six apiece after three frames. Pomona-Pitzer took the lead for the first time by scoring with 3:45 left in regulation. On the Bulldogs' ensuing possession, sophomore driver Taylor Christie (Anaheim, CA) answered with an integral netter to knot the score at seven. Neither team converted any final opportunities, resulting in the overtime period. The Sagehens uncorked back-to-back scores, with the Maroon and Gray finding the back of the net only once before time expired, leading to the 8-9 decision. Sophomore driver Meg Claypool (Portland, OR) shined for the Bulldogs by scoring a hat trick, while Lupfer provided 10 saves in the cage.
Redlands (1-7) takes a break from competition until March 7-8, when it heads to the Claremont Convergence for games against Cal Baptist University, the University of Hawaii, Virginia Military Institute, and Gannon University (PA).