Menlo’s varsity boys water polo team finished 3-1 at the annual Roche Tournament this past weekend, battling to a third-place finish.
The Knights started the tournament on Friday with a commanding 12-3 win over Vista High School, where senior Calvin Barad and freshmen Andres Profit and Avery Kuziemko each tallied three goals. The Knights carried their momentum into the quarterfinals that afternoon, cruising to a 15-4 rout of Davis High School.
The semifinal against La Jolla High School of San Diego proved to be the toughest test for the Knights. Menlo jumped out to a lead early, but the team was forced to switch its game plan after Barad was ejected.
“We lost a key player in Calvin really early on,” head coach Jack Bowen said. “So, without one of our key starters for the final 80% of the game, we had to change our entire system. […] We were playing in an offense that we’re not used to playing in.”
Menlo pushed the game to overtime behind clutch penalty goals from sophomore Hunter Coleman and game-saving blocks from senior goalie Connor Burks, before falling 16–15 in sudden death. Despite the loss, Bowen was proud of the team’s performance.
“Talk about an amazing amount of heart and energy,” he said. […] “To be able to play at that level without a key starter against one of the top teams in the country and push it to overtime is what was most impressive to me.”
The Knights bounced back with a gritty 9-4 win over Rio Americano High School in the third-place match, where Burks led the defense with 21 saves. “When [players] are able to pay attention and adjust [their play] accordingly, it really helps out,” Burks said.
