After defeating M-A in a 5-4 thriller a week prior, Menlo pulled out another close victory to advance to the CCS semifinals. Photo courtesy of Pam Tso McKenney.

By Connor Van Ligten 

No buzzer beater or furious rally was needed; good defense was the key. Under the night sky on Saturday, November 4th, the boys water polo team played an intense rematch of the dramatic WBAL comeback victory against Menlo-Atherton. This time, it was the Knights who were ahead early, but they held off a potential Bears comeback thanks in part to stellar defense by senior captain Miller Geschke down the stretch.

Geschke came up big on both ends of the ball, leading the team in blocks while also scoring two goals and assisting in another. Geschke wowed spectators when he defended two players by himself near the goal during one intense moment in the third quarter. Menlo commanded a 5-2 lead going into the 4th quarter, but were given a scare when M-A stormed back with two key goals to cut the lead to one.

The rally came up short, as stout defense by the Knights prevented the Bears from tying the game. sophomore Josh Poulos had 9 saves overall, while junior Maxwell Patterson and Geschke scored 2 goals each, with senior Niko Bhatia scoring a goal as well. The third-seeded Knights advanced to the semifinals of the CCS tournament and will play the second seeded Bellarmine Bells on Wednesday, November 8th, at 5:30 P.M.