Bellevue marches into the quarterfinals

On Friday night, the Bellevue Wolverines defeated Granite Hills 13-11 to advance to the quarterfinals of the San Diego Open for the first time in program history.

After allowing Granite Hills to score two goals on their first three possessions, Bellevue’s defense clamped down and held the Eagles to just one more first quarter goal. Meanwhile, junior center Marco Stanchi scored two goals out of two-meters to help Bellevue build a 4-3 first quarter lead.

In the second quarter, seniors Silas Clapham and George French converted beautiful outside bar-ins to match the Eagles’  two goals. Defensively, senior Scott Bowers and junior Daniel Sandler provided valuable minutes of lockdown defense to keep Granite Hills at bay.

In the third quarter, Stanchi continued his dominant play by scoring two goals and earning a handful of ejections. French added his second goal of the contest, ripping a cross-cage shot past the Granite Hills goalie.

Entering the fourth quarter, Bellevue maintained a 9-8 lead but needed a few goals to create some breathing room. Fortunately, the Wolverine attack was up to the task. Stanchi scored his sixth goal of the contest. Junior Liam Naughton converted a sneaky backhand out of set. A few possessions later, sophomore Zack Rossman’s steal led to a Cameron Hayes breakaway, which ended in the Wolverines’ third goal of the quarter. French added one final goal to put the game away for good.

Stanchi led the Wolverines’ offense with six goals and three ejections drawn. French added three goals and three assists. Rossman led the defense with five steals, giving him 17 steals in three tournament games. Senior Diego Acevedo continued his strong play in the cage, making nine saves.

Bellevue (17-4) returns to the pool on Saturday morning at 11:00am against Valley Center with a spot in the semifinals on the line.

The win helped the Wolverines advance to the quarterfinals of the San Diego Open for the first time in program history.