REDLANDS, Calif. – The University of Redlands Women's Water Polo team (7-17, 6-6 SCIAC) fell in their 2023 regular season finale 7-5 having their senior night spoiled by the University of La Verne (ULV) inside the Thompson Aquatic Center (TAC) Wednesday evening.
Prior to the game Head Coach Chris Gielen recognized his five seniors Katrina Nielsen (Houston, TX), Tori Zielinski (Sunnyvale, CA), Danielle Cary (Riverside, CA), Hannah Long (Rancho Cucamonga, CA) and Breanna Bailey (Rancho Cucamonga, CA).
Nielsen got the Bulldogs on the scoreboard first at the 3:34 mark of the opening quarter, but ULV would tack on two across the final minute and a half to go in front 2-1.
Emma Parker (Yucaipa, CA) was able to even the game up at two with a goal :42 seconds into the second period and would then combine with Anika Lundbaek (San Anselmo, CA) over the next four minutes with another two tallies to put the Bulldogs in front for the first time in seven minutes, 4-3 heading into the break.
It was a low scoring third quarter with just one goal being scored coming from the Leopards late in the frame. It was their first goal scored after 13 minutes and 41 seconds of being held scoreless, deadlocking the game at 4-4.
La Verne took the final lead of the game with a goal in the first two minutes of the fourth and then scored the eventual game-winner on a penalty with 5:41 left. The Leopards would get a third score to stretch their lead to three, 7-4, before Nielsen scored for the second time capitalizing on a powerplay with 2:03 on the clock, Parker had the assist.
Both teams struggled to find the back of the net consistently as the Bulldogs shot .217 (5-for-23) and the Leopards converting at a .269 (7-for-26) rate. Redlands was called for two more exclusions (10-8), but their defense continued its great play, holding La Verne to a 0-for-10 mark in powerplay chances.
Nielsen and Parker each scored twice with Parker adding two drawn exclusions and two steals and Nielsen totaling two drawn exclusions and three steals.
In goal senior Zielinski ended her historic career as a dual-sport athlete (soccer) with six saves and a steal as she finishes her career with 552 career saves, moving her into fourth place in program history, a two-spot jump from her original position of sixth entering the evening. Her steal gives her 60 for her career, breaking a tie for seventh with two other players as she sits alone at No. 7. In single-season history she finishes with the eighth most saves with 256, which is a new career-high.
Fellow seniors Bailey finished with a steal, Cary drew a pair of exclusions with a steal and Long was out due to an injury.
This was the Bulldogs' final regular season game of the season as they finish with six Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) wins, their most since 2019 when they played two more conference games at 14. They now sit and wait to see if they earn a spot in the upcoming SCIAC Tournament. They need La Verne to fall to Caltech in order to secure the No. 4 seed.
