Bellevue goes 1-4 at Lakes Invite

After a long and relaxing Spring Break, the Bellevue Wolverines hit the pool on April 12 & 13 at the Lakes HS Invitational. The short-handed Wolverines fell to Willamette (OR), Auburn-Mountainview, Roosevelt and Newport before beating cross-town rival Mercer Island.

Willamette 9, Bellevue 4
On Saturday morning, Bellevue squared off against Willamette, a club team from Oregon. Playing without starters Nina Stash and Julie Mao for the day, the Wolverines found themselves trailing 3-1 after the first period. After the Wolverines tallied a goal in the early second quarter to bring the game to within one, Willamette ripped off four unanswered goals to extend their lead to 7-2 entering the fourth. Bellevue traded goals in the fourth but could not close the gap, falling 9-4. Freshman Morgan Baker led the Wolverines with two goals and four steals. Senior co-captain Sophie Pasewark added two assists.

Auburn-Mountainview 14, Bellevue 1
After a one game break, the Wolverines jumped back in the pool to face the Lions of Auburn-Mountainview. The game was a rematch of the March 31st contest won by Auburn-Mountainview 7-4. This time, the result was much different. Auburn-Mountainview came out firing and built a 7-0 halftime lead. The Wolverines struggled to generate offense and did not score a goal until Alexis Taber converted an outside shot in the waning seconds of the fourth quarter. Senior co-captain Sierra Anderson played valiantly in the loss, blocking seven shots.

Roosevelt 16, Bellevue 1
For the second straight game, the Wolverines struggled to generate offense against a tough opponent. This time, the culprit was North League rival Roosevelt. Alexis Taber once again scored the lone Bellevue goal in the loss.

Newport 4, Bellevue 3
With Stash and Mao back in the water, the Wolverines returned to the pool on Sunday morning determined to reverse their fortune. Their opponent: cross-town rival Newport. The game was a rematch of Bellevue’s regular season opener, a low-scoring affair won by the Wolverines 3-2. Not surprisingly, the game proved to be another defensive struggle. Newport opened the first quarter with two unanswered goals. Newport struck again in the second quarter to build a 3-0 halftime lead. But in the third, sophomore Maggie Ugelstad rallied the Wolverine offense, tallying two goals. Newport scored one more third quarter goal before Anderson took over, shutting out the Knights for the remainder of the game. Sophomore Lisa Courtney converted a long outside shot late in the fourth quarter to bring Bellevue to within one, but the Wolverines were unable to muster the equalizer and fell 4-3. Anderson led the Wolverines with 10 saves and two steals.

Bellevue 8, Mercer Island 5
Facing another North League rival in their final game of the tournament, the Wolverines finally found some first half offense. Behind goals from Stash, Ugelstad, Baker and Courtney, Bellevue ended the first half leading 4-2. In the third period, freshman Sarah Harrison scored the first varsity goal of her young career. The tournament also marked Harrison’s first varsity action. Stash, Ugelstad and Baker chipped in one goal apiece in the second half to round out Bellevue’s scoring. Anderson chipped in nine saves in the cage in the victory.

Bellevue (5-7)  resumes league play on Thursday against Mercer Island.