By Nolan Kim ’22
On Friday 9/17 and Saturday 9/18, the Bellarmine Water Polo team entered the Saint Francis Invite. The tournament consisted of 16 teams from all over the Bay Area, with strong competition like Menlo Atherton and Redwood. It also saw most of the WCAL schools like Saint Francis, Valley Christian, and Archbishop Mitty. Each team played 4 games over 2 days. The Bells finished in fifth. The Bells played Salinas, Redwood, Jesuit, and Menlo Atherton. The Bells won 3 out of its 4 games, losing only one game to Redwood, who would eventually finish first. The Bells played close games, beating MA in overtime by a single point and defeating Jesuit by a margin of 2.
Alex Morifusa ’22 was pleased with the team’s effort and result, saying, “We played hard and won all the games we should have won, it’s a good steppingstone.” The tournament had a lot of the competition that the Bells will play this year and proved to be a good test. The Bells are currently 5-2, losing to Redwood and the number 5 team in the nation, Campolindo. They are 2-0 in league after defeating Mitty and Valley Christian. Morifusa knows there’s a lot to work on, saying that the Bells still have “a lot to improve, but I think it was a good start.” Regarding the underclassman with 4 sophomore starters on the team, Morifusa believes that “they’re doing really well.” The water polo team had a strong showing and are looking to continue a great season with a focus on upcoming games against opponents like Serra and Saint Ignatius.