Bellevue advances to state semifinals

11/7/09 -- The Bellevue Boys Water Polo team defeated Newport, Shorewood, Bainbridge and CPA in Saturday's State Tournament to advance to Sunday's semifinals.

Bellevue vs Newport
For the third time this season, Bellevue squared off against arch-rival Newport.  And for the third time this season, Bellevue won.  The Wolverines jumped out to an early 4-1 first quarter lead behind goals from junior Chase Middlesworth and senior captains Riley Smith and Justin Dellinger.  Playing without leading scorer Alex Keith, Newport was unable to break Bellevue's defensive pressure and was held scoreless in the second and third periods.  Middlesworth led Bellevue with three goals.  Dellinger and senior captain Doug Oakley added two goals each.

Bellevue vs Shorewood
Led by senior Doug Oakley, the Wolverines beat Shorewood 16-7 in their second game of the day.  Oakley filled up the stat sheet with three goals, two assists and two ejections drawn.  Justin Dellinger added four goals on a perfect 4-for-4 shooting.  Senior goalie Dan Ellis added five saves, including one on a five-meter penalty shot.

Bellevue vs Bainbridge Island
Playing in its third game in five hours, Bellevue struggled out of the gate and exited the first-quarter nursing a slim 3-2 advantage.  However, the Wolverines used a 4-1 second quarter spurt to build some breathing room en route to a relatively easy 15-5 victory.  Dan Ellis racked up 8 saves in the contest.  Doug Oakley, Chase Middlesworth and sophomore Jake VanWolvelaere each scored three goals in the victory.  Senior Peter Linton and sophomore Adrian Costarella added two goals each.

Bellevue vs CPA
Seeking to avenge their regular season loss, Bellevue used a dominating defense to turn back CPA, 10-6.  Though CPA kept the score close at 2-1 through the first-quarter, the Wolverines seemed to have most of the momentum -- only allowing one shot and missing several scoring opportunities.  By halftime, Bellevue had widen their lead to 6-3.  In the third quarter, two goals by Justin Dellinger helped Bellevue put the game out of reach at 8-3.  Bellevue allowed two late goals in the fourth quarter but was never seriously threatened.  Dellinger and Chase Middlesworth provided the majority of the offense, scoring four goals each.  Dan Ellis was stellar in goal and contributed eight saves in the victory.

Bellevue (25-7) faces Roosevelt at 10:00am on Sunday at King County Aquatic Center in the State semifinals.