|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Alexandra Szczerba scored five goals in helping host Sacred Heart Prep beat Leland, 13-5, in a nonleague girls’ water polo match Saturday.
Ella Woodhead added three goals, three steals, and recorded four assists for the Gators (7-1), who played their final home match of the season and honored their seniors.
Woodhead also drew two exclusions for Sacred Heart Prep, which visits Menlo School for a Wednesday evening match in its final West Catholic Athletic League contest.
Ashley Penner scored once and matched Woodhead with four assists. Brienz Lang scored twice and added three assists. Kate Brandin scored twice.
Goalkeeper Megan Norris made 15 saves and recorded a save percentage of .750.
Szczerba and Woodhead each scored twice within the first 10 minutes of the game as the Gators took a 6-0 lead with 4:26 remaining in the second period.
Leland’s Jenna Flynn, who plays in the U.S. national team system, scored all of her team’s goals, three in the final quarter.
Sacred Heart Prep converted 13 of its 30 shots (.433) while limiting the Chargers to 5-of-33 (.152) shooting.
The Gators were 2-of-3 on power plays while Leland went 0-for-7. The Chargers converted both of their penalty shots.
Boys water polo
Menlo played — and won — its final game of the abbreviated season, this one against its former PAL rivals, Menlo Atherton. The Knights beat M-A, 9-5.
Having been in the PAL until Menlo (9-2) moved to the WCAL two years ago, it was commonplace for Menlo and Menlo Atherton to meet in the league championship game.
“This was a fitting end to a great season for us,” said Menlo coach Jack Bowen, who completed his 22nd year at the school. “M-A is strong this year, with some really talented players and it was great to finish playing so well against a good team like that. We were certainly playing in post-season form which was really fun to watch.”
Menlo-Atherton was playing just its third game of the season as the various leagues have different seasons this year due to COVID. M-A beat St. Ignatius in its previous contest.
“That was just a really fun season,” Menlo senior Zayd Mahmoud said. “I’m so happy and proud of our team this season.”
Mahmoud again asserted himself as one of the top goalies in the country, racking up 15 saves with a 75% save percentage.
Menlo, missing four seniors and a junior due to various reasons, called up freshman Teddy Meeks, who played his second varsity game in as many days. He led the team with two ejections earned. Sophomore Ethan Babel had a team-high three assists and junior Jack Murad recorded three steals.
“I had my reservations about this ‘season’, in quotes all along. But this last week, I realized how much we’d accomplished and, really, what a special time this has been.
“Really inspirational and motivational in many ways,” said Bowen, “watching these young men play with such joy together and really embracing the quirkiness of it all. I took the quotation marks off season. Really memorable.”
Griff Price recorded two steals, seven saves, and did not allow a goal in helping Sacred Heart Prep beat host St. Francis, 15-2, in a West Catholic Athletic League contest Saturday.
Gavin West and Luke Hammarskjold each scored three goals and had an assist for the Gators (10-0), who travel to play Campolindo in a nonleague game on Tuesday night.
Tyler Hogan and Michael Heller each added a pair of goals for SHP, which held St. Francis scoreless for nearly 22 minutes. Brody Ghashghai ended the Lancers’ drought with a goal 17 seconds into the final period.
Hogan added three steals and an assist while Jake Tsotadze compiled three assists. Wyatt Stenson took over for Price in the goal and added three saves.
Track and field
Three Sacred Heart Prep 800-meter runners qualified for the highly-competitive Arcadia Invitational with their performances on Saturday.
Luci Lambert finished first in the 800 in 2:16, with Lucy Paynter and Julia Soderbery right behind in third and fourth respectively.
Lambert placed second in the 1600 and Soderbery was fourth in the 3200.
By Rick Eymer
By Rick Eymer
By Rick Eymer
Change of plans: Research campus to leave Menlo Park, make way for more housingJune 12, 2026 6:46 pm