HOME OF BULLDOG MEN'S WATER POLO - 1993, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2009 SCIAC Champions

The No. 20 University of Redlands men’s water polo team was unable to pull off an upset bid against No. 10 UC San Diego in the Western Water Polo Association (WWPA) Championships on Friday afternoon in Orange, losing, 13-14, in overtime.

Redlands, which holds the tournament’s No. 6 seed, led, 4-2, at the end of the first quarter.

UC San Diego netted the final two goals of the first half to knot the score at seven and outscored the Bulldogs, 3-2, in the third quarter to enter the final frame ahead, 10-9.

Down, 11-12, with 3:10 left to play, Redlands scrambled to find the back of the cage. Finally, with four seconds remaining in regulation, senior driver Brent Dotters (Porterville, CA) blasted a shot past the Triton keeper and sent the game into overtime.

UC San Diego struck twice in the first overtime, but the Maroon and Gray could not muster the equalizer in the remainder of the contest.

Senior center Ryan Floersch (San Jose, CA) lived up to his recent First-Team All-WWPA citation, scoring four goals to lead the Bulldog offense. Dotters, senior driver Clint Stevenson (South Jordan, UT) and senior driver Erik Grosshans (Oxnard, CA) posted two scores apiece while junior driver Drew Fischer (Highland, CA), junior driver Tim Hendrickson (Los Altos, CA) and junior center Blake vanHartesvelt (Mercer Island, WA) each chipped in a goal.

Senior goalkeeper Teddy Trowbridge (Mercer Island, WA) manned the Redlands net and stopped a game-high 16 shots.

UC San Diego (13-13) competes in the final game of the afternoon tomorrow, taking on seventh-seeded Whittier College at 3:15 p.m. The winner of that contest reaches the championship final.

With the loss, Redlands (17-17, 9-1 SCIAC) can finish no higher than fifth in the championships. The Bulldogs find themselves matched up against the No. 14 U.S. Air Force Academy (CO) at 10 a.m. tomorrow morning. Air Force, which holds the event’s No. 2 seed, put 30 shots on goal in a 9-10 upset loss to Whittier. All games take place at the Zee Allred Aquatics Center on the campus of Chapman University in Orange.