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California Golden Bears Athletics
Saturday, November 2
Los Angeles, CA
1:00 PM
California
at
UCLA
Photo by: Rob Edwards/klcfotos
SoCal Showdowns
10/31/2019 9:23 AM | Men's Water Polo
No. 8 Cal Opens MPSF Play In Two-Match Weekend
BERKELEY – Eighth-ranked California will look to snap a two-match losing streak as it travels south for a pair of contests at No. 2 UCLA and No. 6 Long Beach State on Saturday and Sunday.
The Bears (10-7) and Bruins (15-1) will play their Mountain Pacific Sports Federation opener at Spieker Aquatics Center in Los Angeles at 1 p.m. on Saturday. The conference rivals have already clashed once this season on Sept. 28, when UCLA came out on top with a 12-9 victory in the SoCal Invitational. Cal's visit to Long Beach, Calif. on Sunday (12 p.m.) is its first since October 2017. The Bears and 49ers (13-9) haven't faced one another since Cal earned a 9-6 win on Sept. 14, 2018 in Berkeley.
Both matches will have live stats provided on the FOSH. Cal's match at Long Beach State will be streamed via Beach Vision.
WEEKEND OUTLOOK
Opponents: No. 2 UCLA (15-1, 0-0 MPSF) | No. 6 Long Beach State (13-9, 1-1 GCC)
Dates/Times: Saturday, Nov. 2/1 p.m. (PT) | Sunday, Nov. 3/12 p.m. (PT)
Location: Los Angeles, Calif. | Long Beach, Calif.
Live Stats: UCLA – FOSH | Long Beach State – FOSH
Live Stream: UCLA – N/A | Long Beach State – Beach Vision
Notes: Cal | MPSF
ABOUT UCLA
The Bruins enter their MPSF opener with a 15-1 record this season and are most recently coming off a perfect 6-0 run through October. UCLA's lone loss of the season came against top-ranked Stanford in the SoCal Invitational title match on Sept. 29. Other than the blemish against the Cardinal, UCLA has won eight games in its home pool (8-1). Four Bruins have scored 20 or more goals this season, including Ashworth Molthen (32). Alex Wolf has 105 saves in nearly 10 full games of action between the pipes.
ABOUT LONG BEACH STATE
By the time Cal arrives in Long Beach on Sunday, the host 49ers will be gearing up for their third of four matches this week. Long Beach State bested UC San Diego, 12-10, on Wednesday and will host Pacific in a GCC contest on Friday before shifting its focus to the Bears. The 49ers are 2-6 in their last eight matches. Austin Stewart is Long Beach State's most dangerous offensive threat; he entered the week with 70 points (50 goals, 20 assists).
EARNING THEIR STRIPES
With a young roster at his disposal, Cal head coach Kirk Everist has asked multiple freshmen to step up with big minutes and production. The most impressive of those newcomers are goalkeeper Adrian Weinberg and center Nikolaos Papanikolaou. Both players have been named MPSF Newcomer of the Week once this year.
Weinberg ranks second in the MPSF with 151 saves and owns a .512 save percentage, having started 16 matches. Papanikolaou ranks ninth in points (40), fourth in goals (36) and sixth in steals (17) among MPSF players. Other freshmen with key reps include Garrett Dunn (10 goals, nine steals, six assists), Warren Loth (nine goals, one assist, seven field blocks) and Sam Untrecht (10 goals, 14 steals).
LUCKY LEFTY
Senior attacker Safak Simsek is on pace to finish his collegiate career as one of Cal's most successful goal scorers and is the team's active leader with 147. A native of Istanbul, Turkey, Simsek has excelled as the focal point of the Bears' offense this fall, as he is fourth in points (53) and third in goals (40) among MPSF players. The left-hander scored multiple goals in 14 of 17 matches and has netted at least one in all 17. He has added 13 assists and eight steals so far.
CAPTAIN HOOVER
Jordan Hoover is making the most of his fifth and final year as a Bear. The team captain ranks third on the team with 31 goals, just two shy of tying his career-best (33) from one season ago. He also needs just five more to reach 100 for his career. With 33 ejections earned, 10 steals and three field blocks to his name as well, Hoover has proved to be reliable.
OVERTIME WOES
The Bears have been taken to overtime five times this season, including each of their last three matches. Cal is 2-3 in such contests with both wins coming against San Jose State. The three losses have been against UC Davis, Pepperdine and UC Santa Barbara.
NEXT TIME
Cal will gear up for another two-match weekend that includes a trip to top-ranked Stanford for the 2019 Big Splash (Nov. 9, 10:30 a.m.) and a home match vs. UC Irvine (Nov. 10, 1 p.m.).
STAY POSTED
For complete coverage of Cal men's water polo, please follow the Bears on Twitter (@CalWaterPolo), Instagram (@CalMWaterPolo) and Facebook (Facebook.com/Cal-Mens-Water-Polo-Fan-Page).
The Bears (10-7) and Bruins (15-1) will play their Mountain Pacific Sports Federation opener at Spieker Aquatics Center in Los Angeles at 1 p.m. on Saturday. The conference rivals have already clashed once this season on Sept. 28, when UCLA came out on top with a 12-9 victory in the SoCal Invitational. Cal's visit to Long Beach, Calif. on Sunday (12 p.m.) is its first since October 2017. The Bears and 49ers (13-9) haven't faced one another since Cal earned a 9-6 win on Sept. 14, 2018 in Berkeley.
Both matches will have live stats provided on the FOSH. Cal's match at Long Beach State will be streamed via Beach Vision.
WEEKEND OUTLOOK
Opponents: No. 2 UCLA (15-1, 0-0 MPSF) | No. 6 Long Beach State (13-9, 1-1 GCC)
Dates/Times: Saturday, Nov. 2/1 p.m. (PT) | Sunday, Nov. 3/12 p.m. (PT)
Location: Los Angeles, Calif. | Long Beach, Calif.
Live Stats: UCLA – FOSH | Long Beach State – FOSH
Live Stream: UCLA – N/A | Long Beach State – Beach Vision
Notes: Cal | MPSF
ABOUT UCLA
The Bruins enter their MPSF opener with a 15-1 record this season and are most recently coming off a perfect 6-0 run through October. UCLA's lone loss of the season came against top-ranked Stanford in the SoCal Invitational title match on Sept. 29. Other than the blemish against the Cardinal, UCLA has won eight games in its home pool (8-1). Four Bruins have scored 20 or more goals this season, including Ashworth Molthen (32). Alex Wolf has 105 saves in nearly 10 full games of action between the pipes.
ABOUT LONG BEACH STATE
By the time Cal arrives in Long Beach on Sunday, the host 49ers will be gearing up for their third of four matches this week. Long Beach State bested UC San Diego, 12-10, on Wednesday and will host Pacific in a GCC contest on Friday before shifting its focus to the Bears. The 49ers are 2-6 in their last eight matches. Austin Stewart is Long Beach State's most dangerous offensive threat; he entered the week with 70 points (50 goals, 20 assists).
EARNING THEIR STRIPES
With a young roster at his disposal, Cal head coach Kirk Everist has asked multiple freshmen to step up with big minutes and production. The most impressive of those newcomers are goalkeeper Adrian Weinberg and center Nikolaos Papanikolaou. Both players have been named MPSF Newcomer of the Week once this year.
Weinberg ranks second in the MPSF with 151 saves and owns a .512 save percentage, having started 16 matches. Papanikolaou ranks ninth in points (40), fourth in goals (36) and sixth in steals (17) among MPSF players. Other freshmen with key reps include Garrett Dunn (10 goals, nine steals, six assists), Warren Loth (nine goals, one assist, seven field blocks) and Sam Untrecht (10 goals, 14 steals).
LUCKY LEFTY
Senior attacker Safak Simsek is on pace to finish his collegiate career as one of Cal's most successful goal scorers and is the team's active leader with 147. A native of Istanbul, Turkey, Simsek has excelled as the focal point of the Bears' offense this fall, as he is fourth in points (53) and third in goals (40) among MPSF players. The left-hander scored multiple goals in 14 of 17 matches and has netted at least one in all 17. He has added 13 assists and eight steals so far.
CAPTAIN HOOVER
Jordan Hoover is making the most of his fifth and final year as a Bear. The team captain ranks third on the team with 31 goals, just two shy of tying his career-best (33) from one season ago. He also needs just five more to reach 100 for his career. With 33 ejections earned, 10 steals and three field blocks to his name as well, Hoover has proved to be reliable.
OVERTIME WOES
The Bears have been taken to overtime five times this season, including each of their last three matches. Cal is 2-3 in such contests with both wins coming against San Jose State. The three losses have been against UC Davis, Pepperdine and UC Santa Barbara.
NEXT TIME
Cal will gear up for another two-match weekend that includes a trip to top-ranked Stanford for the 2019 Big Splash (Nov. 9, 10:30 a.m.) and a home match vs. UC Irvine (Nov. 10, 1 p.m.).
STAY POSTED
For complete coverage of Cal men's water polo, please follow the Bears on Twitter (@CalWaterPolo), Instagram (@CalMWaterPolo) and Facebook (Facebook.com/Cal-Mens-Water-Polo-Fan-Page).
Players Mentioned
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GK
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