Guarding their unblemished record like a — wait for it — Bulldog, the Sagehens muzzled Redlands on Wednesday with a 3-1 victory.
On Sept. 27, the Pomona-Pitzer (P-P) Sagehens took down the Redlands Bulldogs at home. After conceding first, P-P retaliated with a second-half scoring frenzy, bringing their overall record on the year to an all-time program best of 9-0.
Though the Sagehens are the favorites to win SCIAC, Redlands kept up with P-P’s pace of play early on and their intensity and physicality caught the more technical and patient Sagehen side off guard.
The Bulldogs would not let P-P walk away unscathed from this lethargic start, punishing them in the 15th minute. Bulldogs sophomore Sabrina Semmere capitalized on a cross from the right, burying the ball just out of reach of the Sagehen keeper, Patricia DePalma PO ’27.
This was only the second goal conceded by the Sagehens all season, the first being in their second game against the Sagehens’ NCAA tournament kryptonite, Trinity College. According to Kendrick Dahlin PO ’26, Redlands’s goal was a necessary reminder for the Sagehens to never let up on their opponents.
“I feel like it’s easy [for us] to come into it with a lot of confidence because we’re 8-0, but every team in the SCIAC is really competitive,” Dahlin said. “I think at the beginning of the game they wanted it more than we did. They were working at full effort and we were maybe at 50 percent.”
Anjali Nuggehalli PO ’26 agreed, explaining that the Redlands goal was a beneficial reality check for the Sagehens, who have not needed to come back from a deficit more than once this season.
“It was something we haven’t been used to this season, but I think those moments are important because every team needs a wake-up call,” Nuggehalli said.
And wake up they did. The Sagehens perked up immediately following the goal. They controlled the entire rest of the half, playing almost exclusively in the Bulldogs’ defensive third. P-P was knocking on the door of Redlands’s net and had several tantalizingly close chances that lifted their fans to their feet throughout the half. To their frustration, they couldn’t convert and the Sagehens went into the half trailing 1-0.
Despite the Sagehens’s exasperation due to their inability to execute many of their shots, Dahlin said she believed that ending the first half down 1-0 was a good test for the Sagehens.
“I think it was honestly really valuable to be down at halftime, having to work on that comeback was definitely really beneficial for us,” Dahlin said.
The second half started at a comparable pace to the end of the first. P-P continued to tantalize the Redlands keeper, putting the ball on frame numerous times, but they were unable to find their equalizer until the 65th minute.
Brooke Bailey PO ’27 delivered the ravenous Sagehens the appetizer to the scoring feast that followed. Her goal came from a series of clean passes from P-P in the Bulldog’s final third, where Bailey received the ball in the box and slotted it into the back of the net.
Having savored the glorious taste of a finish, the Sagehens couldn’t resist going back for more. Immediately following Redlands’s kickoff a mere 42 seconds later, Eliana Prosnitz PO ’25 served P-P their second course, shifting the lead in favor of the Sagehens. The home bench was electric, but the raucous energy of the reserves was converted into strategically controlled play on the field.
After securing the lead, the Sagehens maintained command of the game, but were much more careful in their play. However, P-P had to indulge once more and Amanda Khu PO ’25 went back in for dessert in the 69th minute, padding the Sagehen lead to a comfortable 3-1.
Khu said solidifying their advantage was a validating reflection on the shift of energy she noticed after Redlands’s goal.
“We felt like the better team in the second half of the first half, but we were not capitalizing on our opportunities so it definitely felt good to seal the game with the goal,” Khu said.
The Sagehens commanded the remaining twenty minutes, passing around the Bulldogs and closing out the game with a few more close chances.
Nuggehalli said that the resilience that the team demonstrated is a promising sign for P-P as they head into the rest of the season.
“We take a lot of pride in our ability to come out and work every single game and not take anything for granted,” Nuggehalli said. “I think that’s something that we proved today. Every game we can improve our streak and continue the progress that we’ve made so far.”
The Sagehens will compete in their first Sixth Street matchup of the 2023 season this weekend, taking on the Athenas at 7 p.m on Saturday, Sept. 29, where they hope to extend their perfect record to double digits.
Contributing reporting from Beatrix Karambis SC ’26