The University of Redlands women's water polo team welcomed the George Washington University (DC) Colonials to the Thompson Aquatic Center for a non-conference clash against former Bulldog standout Adam Foley's '04 squad. After trailing 5-9 through three periods, the Bulldogs pushed the visitors in the fourth with a 3-1 run. But the late-game rally fell short and resulted in an 8-10 loss.
The teams traded scores in the first period, with freshman attack player Olivia Allen (Santa Monica, CA) notching both goals for the Bulldogs.
Unfortunately for the Maroon and Gray, the second period was all GWU, which scored three and kept Redlands off the board with its stifling defense.
Trailing 2-5 at halftime, Head Coach Chris Gielen made the necessary adjustments on both ends of the pool to see a strong surge by the Bulldogs. Allen started things off for the home team by firing a shot past the Colonial goalkeeper with 5:01 left in the third quarter. Although George Washington rallied to score three-straight goals, Redlands refused to go away. Sophomore utility player Rachel Nelson (San Juan Capistrano, CA) and junior attack player Michelle Na (Mercer Island, WA) bookended the final three goals of the third quarter to make it a 5-9 game.
During the fourth stanza, Allen scored her fourth goal of the game, before the Colonials answered back with another netter. However, Redlands tacked on two more scores to cut it to two with 1:03 left on the clock, as Nelson found space to fire off back-to-back goals.
However, that was the end of the rally, as neither team allowed another score en route to the Bulldogs' 8-10 loss.
Sophomore goalkeepers Kelly Grosswendt (Newbury Park, CA) and Katelyn Jenkins (Bellevue, WA) split time in the cage while recording four and six saves, respectively.
Redlands (5-14) looks forward to its first Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) match on Saturday, March 18, when it hosts Chapman University at the Thompson Aquatic Center. First sprint is slated for 11 a.m.
