Courtesy: Redlands Athletics
The University of Redlands men’s water polo team welcomed the Kingsmen of Cal Lutheran University to the Thompson Aquatic Center on Saturday afternoon for a 2 p.m. game. Before the start of the game, the Maroon and Gray celebrated the careers of senior attackers Christopher Allen (Fullerton, CA) and Chris Frejlach (Rancho Cucamonga, CA). The Bulldogs kept things close in the first period and attempted the comeback in the fourth but the Kingsmen built too big of a lead in the second and third quarters, resulting in a 9-16 Bulldog loss.
A little over four minutes into the stanza, Cal Lutheran built a 3-0 lead, however, Frejlach found sophomore attacker Michael Driscoll (Escondido, CA) for the score to cut the deficit to 1-3 at 3:29.
Now with just 11 seconds ticking down in the first, junior attacker Tor Cole (Malibu, CA) dished a quick pass to sophomore attacker Ethan Beaty (Denver, CO) who put one through the posts for a 2-3 score at the end of one.
Unfortunately, Cal Lutheran found their rhythm over the next two periods, outscoring the Bulldogs 11-3, putting Redlands in a, 5-14, hole to start the fourth.
After a quick yet inspiring talk from Head Coach Ryan Hall, the Bulldogs entered the final quarter with conviction and grit.
Just a minute in, Frejlach snuck one past the Kingsmen keeper. Beaty then drew an exclusion that led to a goal from junior attacker Bradley Clinton (Long Beach, CA) to claw away at the deficit, 7-14 with 6:26 left. A minute and a half later Cole looked to Clinton for another goal and an 8-15 score. Clinton continued to impress in the fourth with his third score at 2:24. However, this would be Redlands’ last goal of the game.
Although the Maroon and Gray outscored CLU, 4-2, in the fourth the Kingsmen distanced themselves enough in the middle quarters to hand Redlands a 9-16 loss.
Clinton led the team with three goals. Junior goalkeeper Jason Gates (San Jose, CA) and sophomore goalkeeper Liam Murphy (Placentia, CA) split time in the cage, combing for 10 saves.
The Bulldogs (0-1) look forward to facing the Kingsmen again this time in Thousand Oaks on Saturday, April 10, at 11 a.m.