Menlo News September 28, 2022

Boys’ water polo tops Bellarmine 11-9; finishes 2-2 in Irvine

Week of 9.28-10.1.2022

Menlo's Teddy Meeks led the Knights past Bellarmine

10.1.2022 – Menlo boys’ water polo went 2-2 at the elite S&R Invitational on Friday and Saturday at Woolett Aquatics Center in Irvine.

The Knights (11-4) played two close games against top Southern California teams, falling to Long Beach Wilson 13-10 and Mira Costa 12-11 in double overtime.

Senior Ethan Babel and junior Teddy Meeks led Menlo in assists on Day One each with six, while Meeks also led the team in steals with five. Michael Fang led Menlo with six ejections earned.

On Saturday, the Knights picked up a pair of wins against Irvine 10-7 and Stevenson 15-3. Bernardo Oliviera led the Knights in steals on the day with four while Meeks and goalie Finn Byrne led in assists with five each.

S&R Invitational
at Woollett Center, Irvine

Final round

	1	2	3	4	T
Menlo	8	2	2	3	15
Stevenson	1	1	0	1	3

Goals – M: Ethan Babel, Michael Fang 2, Nic Ekstrand 3, Tommy Kiesling 4, Alex Gani 2, Jackson Coleman, Bernardo Oliviera, Gabe Stankovich. Saves – M: Cormac Mulloy 9, Finn Byrne 2

Third round

	1	2	3	4	T
Menlo	2	2	5	1	10
Irvine	1	1	5	0	7

Goals – M: Babel 2, Fang, Nic Ekstrand, Kiesling 5, Teddy Meeks.
Saves: Byrne 5, Mulloy 7

	1	2	3	4	T
Menlo	1	3	3	3	10
Long Beach Wilson	0	4	6	3	13

Scoring – M: Kiesling 4, Coleman 2, Meeks 2, Byrne, Mulloy. Saves – M: Mulloy 12

	1	2	3	4	OT	2OT	T
Menlo	5	1	3	2	0	0	11
Mira Costa	4	0	5	2	0	1	12

Scoring – M: Ethan Babel 2, Michael Fang, Nic Ekstrand 3, Tommy Kiesling 4, Jackson Coleman, Teddy Meeks. Saves – M: Mulloy 12

Menlo 11, Bellarmine 9

Meeks, Mulloy shine in Knights’ win

9.28.2022 – In their longstanding rivalry, Menlo and host Bellarmine faced off Thursday, and the Knights came away with an 11-9 WCAL victory Wednesday.

With the win, Menlo evens their record with Bellarmine since 2000 at 13-13. Menlo held a two-goal lead from the end of the first quarter and for the rest of the game. Playing without a key starter, Menlo didn’t sub for the entire game and overcame a 10-to-6 ratio of personal fouls/penalty shots.

A key in the game was junior goalkeeper Cormac Mulloy. “Cormac made some game-saving blocks from the first quarter all the way through the final minutes of the game,” Menlo Coach Jack Bowen said.

Mulloy also assisted on two of the goals.

Teddy Meeks led Menlo (9-2, 3-0 WCAL) in assists with two (along with Mulloy, Tommy Kiesling and Ethan Babel), in steals with two, and blocked shots with three.

Jackson Coleman scored twice early in the first quarter, and finished with a team-high three goals along with Kiesling.

With the win, Menlo and SHP sit atop the WCAL league standings both undefeated. Menlo heads to Orange County for the S&R Cup Tournament this weekend, facing off against Long Beach Wilson in the first round.