RIVERSIDE, Calif. – The University of Redlands Women's Water Polo team wrapped up the Lancer Joust Invite Sunday taking on both Fresno Pacific University and Azusa Pacific University, dropping both games 14-13 OT and 21-5, respectively.

All four games on the weekend came against Division I/II teams as the Bulldogs still search for their first win of 2023.    

Game 1 (Fresno Pacific | L, 14-13 OT)

Redlands looked to bounce back following their two losses on Friday when they took on the Firebirds.  The opening quarter was solid for the Maroon and Grey scoring the first three goals, while holding FPU scoreless until the final :18 seconds of the quarter. Sofia Portello (Sonoma, CA) put the Bulldogs up with her first goal of the season thanks to a power-play opportunity. Then the local Danielle Cary (Riverside, CA) netted a pair in the final three minutes to make it 3-0.

Three minutes into the second quarter UR extended their lead back to three, 4-1, thanks to a goal from another local, Sarah Sinclair (Riverside, CA).

After a relatively quiet start to the period, the final 3:36 of the half saw the two teams combine for five goals, three for FPU and two for UR. The Sunbirds added their first back-to-back to get within one, 4-3, but the Bulldogs responded with goals from Christine Chua (Arcadia, CA) and Emma Parker (Yucaipa, CA) to restore their three-goal advantage, 6-3. The final goal before the intermission came from FPU as the Bulldogs took a 6-4 lead into the break.

After scoring six goals in two games yesterday, Hannah Long (Rancho Cucamonga, CA) scored for the first time on a five-meter penalty a minute into the third. 

FPU got within a goal again before Redlands earned back-to-back tallies from Long and Katrina Nielsen (Houston, TX) as they continued to maintain a cushion of three goals, 9-6.

At the end of 24 minutes the Bulldogs picked up the final goal, coming on a powerplay with :25 seconds remaining as they held a two-goal advantage, 10-8, for the third time. 

Then with 5:40 left to play in the fourth, the Sunbirds managed to tie the game up at 10 for the first time since it was scoreless coming in the opening minutes of the first. The Bulldogs looked to have retaken momentum with two goals in less than a minute as Long pushed her goal total to four with 4:15 left in the game.

But with two minutes to play the Bulldogs found themselves down for the first time, trailing 13-12 with 1:43 left. Nielsen equalized for Redlands :25 seconds later as her goal would send the teams into overtime.

In the next four extra sessions, the two teams combined for 19 shots with no goals for the first 10:45 until the Sunbirds were finally able to score in a sudden death, eighth quarter with only 1:14 left.

The two teams combined for 69 shots, (28-41) and 33 exclusions (18-15). The Bulldogs were able to score 13 times and tested the Sunbirds' keeper 21 times in 44 minutes in comparison to the 26 shots on-target Tori Zielinski (Sunnyvale, CA) faced.

Offensively Long again led the way with four goals, she was helped by Nielsen and Cary who each scored twice. Defensively it was Long with a game-high four steals. Breanna Bailey (Rancho Cucamonga, CA), Parker, and Zielinski each had two steals. Zielinski also added 12 more saves.

Game 2 (Azusa Pacific | L, 21-5)

The Bulldogs conceded the opening two goals before tying the game up early in the second quarter thanks to goals from Portello and Long both coming on powerplays. The Bulldogs would not find the back of the net the rest of the second as they trailed by four, 6-2, heading into the half.

Redlands and Azusa Pacific traded goals early in the third quarter as Bailey added a goal to her assist earlier. With less than a minute left in the third, the Bulldogs found themselves down by double-digits for the first time, 13-3.  But Long scored the final goal of the quarter with three seconds remaining as it was a 13-4 game through 24 minutes.

In the final period Nielsen helped the Bulldogs avoid getting shut out in the fourth with a goal on a power-play.

Long added two goals to her tournament total, bringing it to 12, tying her for the second most with in the tournament.  Zielinski played the first three quarters and made six saves. Overall, she recorded 37 saves, tying her for the most in the tournament. She also finishes sixth in save percentage at .416.

The Bulldogs will have an extended break before hosting Cal State Fullerton and Concordia (CA) at the Thompson Aquatic Center on Saturday, February 18 (9:00am & 3:00pm).