Senior Martynas Bieliauskas once again splits time playing goalie and field this season for the Riverside Brookfield High School boys water polo team. He’s made significant progress in the net, thanks to tips from RBHS assistant coach Tatum Bruno and RBHS girls water polo coach Amy Frey, a former college goalie.
“She’s kind of helped me out, different tactics. It’s like a fresh set of eyes to improve my game,” Bieliauskas said. “I think my legs have definitely gotten a lot better and my positioning and awareness in goal have definitely improved.”
Fortunately for the Bulldogs, Bieliauskas was on offense when they needed him most April 9. He scored the winning goal with 14 seconds left as the Bulldogs recorded their first victory this season, 7-6 over Morton, after falling behind 6-4 with 5:23 remaining.
“[Avi Ponnappan] fed me a pass that was just beautiful and I finished the job,” said Bieliauskas about his third goal of the season. “It was nice. I haven’t been scoring much, which is a little bit of a disappointment. Scoring when it matters always feels good and just to execute a win in the last crucial seconds is nice.”
Riverside-Brookfield’s Emerson Lacey (3) chases down the loose ball against Morton during a West Suburban Conference game Wednesday, April 9, 2025 in Riverside. (Steve Johnston) 
Riverside-Brookfield’s Avinesh Ponnappan (16) works up the pool against Morton during a West Suburban Conference game Wednesday, April 9, 2025 in Riverside. (Steve Johnston) 
Riverside-Brookfield’s Victor DiForti (2) tries to get a shot past Morton’s Javier Luna (10) during a West Suburban Conference game Wednesday, April 9, 2025 in Riverside. (Steve Johnston) 
Riverside-Brookfield’s Henry Manning (14) looks to pass past Morton’s Alexander Guzman (13) during a West Suburban Conference game Wednesday, April 9, 2025 in Riverside. (Steve Johnston)
The Bulldogs had just gone a man up on Morton. The ejection with 15 seconds followed a steal by Ponnappan, their leading scorer with 27 goals.
“[Our players] did a really good job of pressing hard on defense and playing tough. It was a real nail-biter of a game,” said Bruno, a first-year coach along with RBHS head coach Mike Laurich. “From our first game, everyone was nervous to have that much contact and to play big. They’ve gained a lot of confidence playing pretty intense varsity-caliber teams, even our JV kids. Now we have young players coming that are looking really, really strong.”
The Bulldogs (2-6), who followed with a 9-4 victory over Maine East Friday, are a relatively inexperienced lineup that continues making significant strides. The Morton victory was further proof. Down two goals, the Bulldogs closed to 6-5 on Ponappan’s fourth goal of the game with 2:45 to play. They tied it on freshman’s Ryan Meshke’s fifth goal with 36 seconds to go. Jake Kocourek scored in the second quarter for a 3-3 halftime tie. The game also was tied 4-4 after three quarters.
“Coming into the season I didn’t have very high expectations but two wins back to back has shown me a lot more what our team is capable of and what we can do in the future,” Ponnappan said. “Working with Tatum in practice, we’ve been able to develop a lot of skills that we didn’t have at the start of the season and that has helped make our games run a lot smoother.”
Other top-scoring players this season include Marcello George (6 goals) and defensive standout Henry Manning and Jacob Photiades (5 goals each).
Bieliauskas usually alternates quarters in goal with junior Zachary Kowalski. Because of illness Friday, Bieliauskas played the entire match in goal. Ponnappan scored a single-match best seven goals against Maine East, including the first five of the game. Manning and Kocourek also tallied.
RBHS girls water polo
The Bulldogs (2-6) posted their first two victories during a busy four-match week, beating Stagg 14-4, April 7, and Hinsdale South 10-7, Friday.
Senior Bella Gonzalez had four goals at Hinsdale South. Seniors Liv Dobbe, Eleanor Glennie and Sophie Ivan had two each.
Varsity newcomers making contributions include new senior goalie Afton Douglas in her second season with the program, junior Bella Abernathy and sophomore Leah Vega.