May. 1, 2005

BERKELEY, CA - Bolstered by three goals in the third period, the No. 8 California women's water polo team upset No. 5-ranked Long Beach State, 8-4, Sunday in the fifth-place match of the 2005 MPSF Tournament Spieker Aquatics Complex. The Golden Bears improved their record to 18-10, while the 49ers fell to 21-9.

Cal was paced by two goals apiece from juniors Allison Gold and Brittani Llorente, and sophomore Elsie Windes. The Bears had jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period on goals by Gold and Windes, but Long Beach State battled back on scores by Cassie Azevedo and Marina Canetti to tie the contest with 6:39 left in the first half.

Cal was then able to control the match for good when freshman Vanessa Lindsey scored on a 6-on-5 advantage with 1:32 left in the half. The Bears went on the rattle off three straight goals to start the third period, with junior Breana Allison, Llorente and Windes leading the way and giving Cal a 6-2 advantage. Canetti scored her second goal of the match with 1:18 in the third to get the 49ers within 6-3.

The Bears kept up the pressure on Long Beach State with a goal by Llorente with 6:31 in the fourth. Avezedo was able to score her second goal of the match with 2:32 left, but Gold sealed Cal's hard-fought victory with a goal at 2:03 in the final period.

"I think the key to the match was outscoring them, 3-1, in the third period," said Cal coach Amber Drury-Pinto. "I feel that broke their back. I give our girls a lot of credit. They knew they had to keep the momentum and not let up."

GAME 20 FIFTH PLACE MATCH

#5 Long Beach State 4 #6 California 8

LBS 1 1 1 1 - 4

Cal 2 1 3 2 - 8

Goals - LBS - Cassie Azevedo 2, Marina Canetti 2.

Cal - Allison Gold 2, Brittani Llorente 2, Elsie Windes 2, Breana Allison, Vanessa Lindsey.

Saves - LBS - Bri Hawkins 4.

Cal - Alex Feune de Colombi 8.

Records: Cal 18-10, LBS 21-9

For complete match scoring, find link at www.calbears.com

2005 MPSF Women's Water Polo Championship
Final, May 1, 2005
Game 17 11th Place Match #8 UC Irvine 15, #11 San Jose State 11
Game 18 9th Place Match #7 UC Santa Barbara 7, #12 ASU 5
Game 19 7th Place Match #10 San Diego State 8, #9 Cal State Northridge 3
Game 20 5th Place Match #6 California 8, #5 Long Beach State 4
Game 21 3rd Place Match #2 USC 12, #4 Hawaii 6
Game 22 Championship Match # 1 UCLA 9, #3 Stanford 5

2005 MPSF Women's Water Polo Championship
Semifinal Results, Apr. 30, 2005
Game 11 #12 Arizona State 9, #8 UC Irvine 7
Game 12 #7 UC Santa Barbara 7, #11 San Jose State 6 OT
Game 13 #5 Long Beach State 12, #9 Cal State Northridge 4
Game 14 #6 California 9, #10 San Diego State 7
Game 15 #1 UCLA 10, #4 Hawaii 5
Game 16 #3 Stanford 9, #2 USC 5

2005 MPSF Women's Water Polo Championship
Quarterfinal Results, Apr. 29, 2005
Game 6 #12 Arizona State 6, #13 Pacific 5
Game 7 #1 UCLA 14, #-9 CS Northridge 4
Game 8 #2 USC 9, #10 San Diego State 5
Game 9 #3 Stanford 7, #6 California 3
Game 10 #4 Hawaii 8, #5 Long Beach State 7 OT

2005 MPSF Women's Water Polo Championship
First Round Results, Apr. 28, 2005
#4 Hawaii 15, #13 Pacific 6
#5 Long Beach State 8, #12 Arizona State 4
#6 California 7, #11 San Jose State 5
#10 San Diego State 7, #7 UC Santa Barbara 4
#9 Cal State Northridge 10, #8 UC Irvine 9