Bellevue takes 3rd at the San Diego Open
After going 4-1 with wins over Monte Vista, Helix, Granite Hills and Valley Center, the Bellevue Wolverines took third place at the 2013 San Diego Open. The third place finish was the best showing in program history. It was also the first time the Wolverines had appeared in the quarterfinals and semifinals of the 40-team tournament.
Bellevue 13, Valley Center 11
Facing a disciplined squad from Valley Center, the Wolverines stormed out of the gate with a 5-2 first quarter. By halftime, the Wolverines extended the lead to 8-4. While the Jaguars mounted a late comeback, including two goals in the final minute, the outcome was never in doubt as the Wolverines punched their ticket to the semifinals.
Offensively, Bellevue showcased a balanced attack, with five Wolverines scoring multiple goals. Senior George French, junior Marco Stanchi and sophomore Zack Rossman led the team with three goals each. Senior Scott Bowers and junior Liam Naughton added two goals each. Rossman had three assists, while senior Silas Clapham added two.
Senior Diego Acevedo anchored the defense with eight saves and two steals in goal. Stanchi chipped in a game-high four steals, while Clapham, Rossman and freshman Cameron Hayes had three.
By winning their quarterfinal matchup, the Wolverines advanced to the semifinals against Santana High School, which had beat Southridge (Oregon) 13-5 in their quarterfinal matchup.
Bellevue 9, Santana 11
Facing last year’s tournament champions in the semifinals, the Wolverines knew they had their hands full. Santana entered the tournament 14-2, with their only losses coming against Southern California powerhouses Murrieta Valley and Damien in a late September tournament. Santana dominated their first four tournament games, winning by a combined score of 58 to 21. But the Wolverines proved that they were up to the challenge.
Behind a two-meter goal from Stanchi and a man-up goal from Rossman, the Wolverines tallied two first quarter strikes. Acevedo turned back several shots to limit the Sultan attack. At the end of the first quarter, the score was tied 2-2.
In the second quarter, the Sultans took advantage of several defensive breakdowns to post six goals. Rossman scored on another man-up and junior Josh Rehder snuck an outside shot past the Santana goalie, but the Wolverines could not keep pace and ended the half down 8-4.
The third quarter was another 2-2 affair. Stanchi continued his dominant play at two-meters with two ejections drawn, including a five-meter penalty shot which he subsequently converted. French scored his first goal of the game by rifling a man-up shot from the four past the Sultan goalie.
Entering the fourth period, the Wolverines were still down by four goals. The Wolverines proved their toughness by slowly battling back. Stanchi scored two goals and drew two more ejections. French added his second goal of the game with one minute left. But in the end, the comeback fell short and the Wolverines lost 11-9.
Freshman Cameron Hayes posted a team-high four assists in the loss. French added three ejections drawn. Stanchi had three steals, while Clapham added two. Acevedo had seven saves, including two point blank saves from two-meter set shots.
In the championship game, Santana fell 10-9 to San Marcos of Santa Barbara.
Three Wolverines were named to the All-Tournament Team: Stanchi (1st Team All-Tournament), French (2nd Team All-Tournament) and Rossman (Honorable Mention).
Bellevue (18-5) returns to the pool on Wednesday at 3:30pm against Roosevelt on Senior Night.
