Bulldogs Drop Pair of Competitive Battles Against Division I Foes at UC Irvine Invitational
From goredlands.com
The University of Redlands men’s water polo team opened its season on Saturday at the UC Irvine Invitational, dropping two hard-fought contests against NCAA Division I opponents.
The Bulldogs (0-2) fell just short in a 12-11 heartbreaker against George Washington University before dropping a 13-8 decision to California State University, Fullerton after staying locked in a tight battle deep into the third quarter.
Game 1: George Washington 12, Redlands 11
Photo credit: University of Redlands
Madigan opened the Bulldogs' entire season scoring on a 5-meter penalty, assisted on the game-tying 6-on-5 goal late in the fourth quarter against GWU, and finished 2nd overall in the entire tournament in steals per game (1.5 average).
Redlands kicked off the tournament in a back-and-forth thriller against George Washington University.
Junior Joseph Madigan, of Arlington, Virginia, got the Bulldogs on the board early by converting a five-meter penalty shot. Shortly after, freshman Zach Dortch of Alameda set up El Cajon senior Jake Simpson to give Redlands a 2-1 advantage at the end of the first period.
After GWU tied the match early in the second quarter, Redlands launched a 3-0 surge. Senior Adam Lambert of St. Louis, Missouri, buried the first off a pass from freshman Nick Davidson of Honolulu, Hawaii, followed by strikes from Dortch and sophomore Camilo Solis of Camarillo, California, to put the Maroon and Grey up 5-2.
The Revolutionaries rallied back to tie the game at 5-5 in the third quarter before Redlands surged again. Senior Matthew Wheeler, of Visalia, netted a pair of goals — including a powerplay connection from Lambert — to push the Bulldogs back ahead, 7-5.
GWU answered with another three-goal run to take a 9-8 lead early in the fourth quarter. Redlands responded immediately as junior Johnny Starr, of Bakersfield, and Yucaipa freshman Blake Minkler scored back-to-back tallies to reclaim a 10-9 lead with 4:56 left.
However, two consecutive powerplay conversions put GWU back in front 11-10. With under two minutes remaining, Madigan found senior Oliver Finley, of Capetown, South Africa, on a 6-on-5 opportunity to knot the score at 11-11. The Revolutionaries managed to punch in the game-winner with just 44 seconds remaining. Redlands put two final shots on cage in the closing seconds, but both were turned away.
Goalkeeper Matias Sheridan, a freshman from Honolulu, provided a strong performance off the bench, stopping eight shots while allowing just five goals over the final 16 minutes of play.
Game 2: Cal State Fullerton 13, Redlands 8
In the afternoon matchup, Redlands came out sharp against Cal State Fullerton, taking a 3-2 lead after the first quarter behind goals from Simpson, Starr, and Dortch.
The Titans seized momentum in the second, outscoring the Bulldogs 3-1. Redlands' lone goal of the frame came on a powerplay strike from Redlands East Valley alumnus senior Lennon Franklin, keeping the Maroon and Grey within striking distance at 5-4 at halftime.
Redlands fought back in the third quarter as Wheeler fed Starr less than a minute in to tie the game at 5-5. After CSUF pulled ahead by two, Dortch and Simpson answered to even the score at 7-7. Starr added another game-tying goal with two minutes left in the third to make it 8-8, but the Titans took control from there, closing out the contest with five unanswered goals.
Tournament Highlights & Up Next
Sheridan’s eight saves across the two games tied for the ninth-most in the tournament field, while Madigan averaged 1.5 steals per game, ranking second overall among tournament competitors.
The Bulldogs return home to the Thompson Aquatic Center to host the Inland Empire Classic beginning Friday, Sept. 4. Redlands will face UC Irvine at 9 a.m. and Concordia University Irvine at 3 p.m., followed by Saturday matchups against California Baptist University (8 a.m.) and a rematch with Cal State Fullerton.