Bears Open 2018 At Triton Invitational - California Golden Bears Athletics

Saturday, September 1

San Diego, CA

8:20 AM

California

Air Force

8/30/2018 10:26 AM | Men's Water Polo

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No. 3 Cal Looks For Strong Start In San Diego

By: Cal Athletics

BERKELEY - The Cal men's water polo season begins another chapter in the program's long and storied history with a trip to San Diego as the No. 3-ranked Golden Bears kick off the 2018 season by participating in the Triton Invitational hosted by UC San Diego. Cal will open its new campaign with Saturday matches against Air Force and Concordia before returning to the La Jolla campus on Sunday for two more matches against opponents yet to be determined.

Saturday's matches will take place at Canyonview Pool beginning with the first game against Air Force set for 8:20 a.m. Cal vs. Concordia will start at 12:20 p.m. There will be no live stats (except for matches involving the host Tritons) or live video from the tournament but results will be available at CalBears.com following each match.

COACH SPEAK
A vote of MPSF coaches placed Cal right in the mix to compete for the 2017 conference title as the Bears received 16 points to rank third in the annual preseason poll. Defending NCAA champion UCLA starts the year as the coaches' pick at the top while USC slotted second. Stanford ranked fourth, Penn State Behrend took fifth and MPSF newcomer Austin College ranked sixth in its inaugural varsity season.

2017 IN REVIEW
After spending parts of the season ranked No. 1 in the nation, the Bears made their third consecutive trip to the NCAA Championships before a thrilling 12-11 decision against USC brought Cal's season to a close with a 20-4 overall record. To get back to the season's final tournament, the Bears provided plenty of memorable moments, led perhaps by an incredible 10-9 overtime victory over Stanford at the MPSF Tournament. Regular season victories over both UCLA and USC helped the Bears finish 2-1 in conference play and senior Luca Cupido capped the year by bringing the sport's biggest honor back to Berkeley as he received the Peter J. Cutino Award as the nation's top men's player.

GETTING BETTER WITH AGE
Cal can turn to a strong veteran presence to set the tone in 2018, led by a trio of seniors who have already played key roles in their careers. Fifth-year attacker Vassilis Tzavaras and Team USA standout Johnny Hooper will serve as co-captains for the Bears while fellow upperclassman Odysseas Masmanidis will also take a key leadership role as one of the nation's top returning scorers. All three started for the Bears during their run to the 2016 NCAA championship and all three received postseason honors as juniors in 2017.

NEW FACES IN NEW PLACES
A talented group of seven newcomers joins the Bears for the 2018 season as a mix of domestic and international standouts look to earn playing time in Berkeley. Northern California natives Jack Deely, Anthony Rethans and Sam Murphy join SoCal native Joe Molina as the Bears' incoming California core while Mateus Stellet (Brazil), Marko Valecic (Croatia) and Kaan Gezguc (Turkey) bring accomplished resumes from overseas as they begin their collegiate careers.

NEXT UP
The Bears return to Northern California for their next stretch of matches as they head to UC Davis on Sept. 6 for a 7 p.m. showdown. Action shifts to Stockton on Sept. 8 with a 7 p.m. game at Pacific. And, play returns to Spieker Aquatics Complex on Sept. 14 when the Bears host Long Beach State at 6 p.m. in the 2018 home opener.