THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — Cal Lutheran men's water polo came up just short of a national championship as the Kingsmen fell to the Redlands Bulldogs 11-6 on Sunday afternoon.

It was a historic season for the Kingsmen as they won their first SCIAC Tournament Championship and advanced to the Division III Collegiate Water Polo National Championship.

Cal Lutheran defeated MIT 17-7 on Saturday in the semifinals and advanced to the championship on Sunday. Ben Brown and Dillon Goldsmith were named to the USA Water Polo All-Tournament Team.

The teams exchanged goals early on and the score was tied 3-3 after the first quarter. Cal Lutheran took the lead to start the second, as Lincoln Hall and Luke Matthies made it 5-3 with 2:27 left in the half. 

Redlands was quick to answer and tied the game at the break. The Bulldogs continued the scoring in the third quarter and shutout the Kingsmen 4-0 to take the lead. Redlands scored seven straight goals and doubled up the Kingsmen at 10-5 with 6:29 remaining in the fourth.

The Bulldogs used the lead and coasted the rest of the way as they stole the championship from the Kingsmen. 

Adam Dow led the way with two goals and Matthies, Goldsmith, Johnny Wotowa and Justin Boals had one each. Brown helped facilitate the ball and dished out four assists. 

Bo DuBois was in the cage and made eight saves. He added one assist and turned in a fantastic performance. Goldsmith was a big help defensively and had three steals.

The water polo season came to close on Sunday afternoon. It was an amazing run for the Kingsmen, with many program firsts, and continued to build the legacy at Cal Lutheran. The Kingsmen look to rebuild and get back to the national championship tournament next year. 

Box Score: UR 11, CLU 6
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