California Golden Bears Athletics
Saturday, November 16
Berkeley, CA
1:00 PM
California
vs
USC
Photo by: Nathan Phillips/klcfotos
Bears At Home For Regular Season Finale
11/14/2019 11:38 AM | Men's Water Polo
Cal Hosts Top-Ranked USC On Senior Day
BERKELEY – Seventh-ranked California will conclude the 2019 regular season by hosting No. 1 USC in a Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) clash at 1 p.m. (PT) on Saturday, Nov. 16 at Spieker Aquatics Complex.
The Bears (12-9, 0-2 MPSF) are looking to build momentum heading into next week's MPSF Tournament, also hosted at Spieker, while searching for their first conference victory of the year. Four Bears – Bernardo Carelli, Jordan Hoover, Cade Kruse and Safak Simsek – will also be honored during a pre-match Senior Day ceremony.
WEEKEND OUTLOOK
Opponents: No. 1 USC (12-4, 2-0 MPSF)
Dates/Times: Saturday, Nov. 16 | 1 p.m. (PT)
Location: Berkeley, Calif. | Spieker Aquatics Complex
Live Stats: FOSH
Notes: Cal | USC | MPSF
THANK YOU, SENIORS!
Four Golden Bears - Bernardo Carelli, Jordan Hoover, Cade Kruse and Safak Simsek - will be honored prior to Saturday's match with a Senior Day ceremony. All four players were members of Cal's 2016 NCAA championship team and have played various, pivotal roles in Cal's 73 wins since 2016.
ABOUT USC
Having already secured the top seed in next week's MPSF Tournament, the Trojans (12-4, 2-0 MPSF) enter Saturday's match with a three-game win streak, including conference victories against Stanford and UCLA. The defending national champions opened the season at No. 1 nationally but dropped to as low as No. 7 in late October before climbing back up the ranks. Cal suffered a 13-12 loss to USC in the fifth-place match of the SoCal/MPSF Invitational on Sept. 29. Jacob Mercep leads the Trojans with 37 goals while Nic Porter is averaging 11.05 saves per game in goal.
LAST TIME VS. USC
Cal suffered a 13-12 loss to USC despite a fourth-quarter rally in the fifth-place match of the SoCal/MPSF Invitational at Spieker Aquatics Center in Los Angeles on Sept. 29. The Bears trailed USC by as many as five goals at the end of the third period before a furious rally, led by senior captain Jordan Hoover, brought them back within striking distance. The hard-fought match between familiar foes featured 38 exclusions and four cards issued.
With a 12-7 deficit at the end of the third quarter, Cal made things interesting by scoring five times in the final eight minutes, including a pair from Hoover, who finished the match with four points (three goals, one assist) and four drawn exclusions. Warren Loth scored on an assist from Jake Stone with 20 seconds remaining to make it a one-goal difference, but the Bears ran out of time to complete the comeback.
The Trojans controlled the majority of the match, racing out to a 5-1 lead midway through the second quarter. Cal never led. Consecutive goals by Jack Deely, Nikolaos Papanikolaou and Hoover cut USC's lead to 5-4, however the Trojans finished off the first half with three goals of their own to remain in front.
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 173 saves and owns a .500 save percentage, having started 18 matches. Papanikolaou ranks fourth in goals (40) and seventh in steals (18) among MPSF players. Other freshmen with key reps include Garrett Dunn (11 goals, 11 steals and seven assists), Warren Loth (14 goals, one assist and 10 field blocks) and Sam Untrecht (12 goals and 16 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 152. Simsek has excelled as the focal point of the Bears' offense this fall, as he is fourth in points (63) and third in goals (45) among MPSF players. The left-hander scored multiple goals in 15 of 21 matches and has netted at least one in 19 of 21.
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 a career-best 37 goals. His game-winner at Long Beach State on Nov. 3 was the 100th of his career. With 47 ejections earned, 13 steals and four field blocks to his name as well, Hoover is proving to be one of Cal's most reliable pieces.
TEAM COMES FIRST
With freshman Adrian Weinberg winning Cal's starting goalkeeper job, senior and former All-American Bernardo Carelli has played a reserve role in his final year as a Bear. Carelli has logged 126 minutes in goal and tallied 33 saves against 64 shots (.516). The veteran proved his worth on Sept. 22 in a comeback win over Santa Clara. With Cal trailing 6-5 just before halftime, Carelli replaced Weinberg and re-energized Cal's defensive play with three second-half saves and earned the win. The senior then earned his second start of the year at LBSU on Nov. 3 and made 10 saves in the overtime victory.
GLUE GUY
Sophomore Jack Deely's seven-point effort (four goals, three assists) in Cal's 10-7 win vs. UC Irvine on Nov. 10 was a standout example of his well-rounded season. The utility man ranks fifth on the team with 37 points (26 goals, 11 assists) and has 10 drawn ejections and eight steals. Deely has also been held scoreless in just five matches.
NEXT TIME
A MPSF Tournament title and a NCAA Tournament berth will be on the line next weekend when Cal hosts the three-day MPSF Tournament at Spieker Aquatics Complex. Play will begin at 9 a.m. (PT) on Friday, Nov. 22 and conclude with the championship match at 3 p.m. (PT) on Sunday, Nov. 24.
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 (12-9, 0-2 MPSF) are looking to build momentum heading into next week's MPSF Tournament, also hosted at Spieker, while searching for their first conference victory of the year. Four Bears – Bernardo Carelli, Jordan Hoover, Cade Kruse and Safak Simsek – will also be honored during a pre-match Senior Day ceremony.
WEEKEND OUTLOOK
Opponents: No. 1 USC (12-4, 2-0 MPSF)
Dates/Times: Saturday, Nov. 16 | 1 p.m. (PT)
Location: Berkeley, Calif. | Spieker Aquatics Complex
Live Stats: FOSH
Notes: Cal | USC | MPSF
THANK YOU, SENIORS!
Four Golden Bears - Bernardo Carelli, Jordan Hoover, Cade Kruse and Safak Simsek - will be honored prior to Saturday's match with a Senior Day ceremony. All four players were members of Cal's 2016 NCAA championship team and have played various, pivotal roles in Cal's 73 wins since 2016.
ABOUT USC
Having already secured the top seed in next week's MPSF Tournament, the Trojans (12-4, 2-0 MPSF) enter Saturday's match with a three-game win streak, including conference victories against Stanford and UCLA. The defending national champions opened the season at No. 1 nationally but dropped to as low as No. 7 in late October before climbing back up the ranks. Cal suffered a 13-12 loss to USC in the fifth-place match of the SoCal/MPSF Invitational on Sept. 29. Jacob Mercep leads the Trojans with 37 goals while Nic Porter is averaging 11.05 saves per game in goal.
LAST TIME VS. USC
Cal suffered a 13-12 loss to USC despite a fourth-quarter rally in the fifth-place match of the SoCal/MPSF Invitational at Spieker Aquatics Center in Los Angeles on Sept. 29. The Bears trailed USC by as many as five goals at the end of the third period before a furious rally, led by senior captain Jordan Hoover, brought them back within striking distance. The hard-fought match between familiar foes featured 38 exclusions and four cards issued.
With a 12-7 deficit at the end of the third quarter, Cal made things interesting by scoring five times in the final eight minutes, including a pair from Hoover, who finished the match with four points (three goals, one assist) and four drawn exclusions. Warren Loth scored on an assist from Jake Stone with 20 seconds remaining to make it a one-goal difference, but the Bears ran out of time to complete the comeback.
The Trojans controlled the majority of the match, racing out to a 5-1 lead midway through the second quarter. Cal never led. Consecutive goals by Jack Deely, Nikolaos Papanikolaou and Hoover cut USC's lead to 5-4, however the Trojans finished off the first half with three goals of their own to remain in front.
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 173 saves and owns a .500 save percentage, having started 18 matches. Papanikolaou ranks fourth in goals (40) and seventh in steals (18) among MPSF players. Other freshmen with key reps include Garrett Dunn (11 goals, 11 steals and seven assists), Warren Loth (14 goals, one assist and 10 field blocks) and Sam Untrecht (12 goals and 16 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 152. Simsek has excelled as the focal point of the Bears' offense this fall, as he is fourth in points (63) and third in goals (45) among MPSF players. The left-hander scored multiple goals in 15 of 21 matches and has netted at least one in 19 of 21.
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 a career-best 37 goals. His game-winner at Long Beach State on Nov. 3 was the 100th of his career. With 47 ejections earned, 13 steals and four field blocks to his name as well, Hoover is proving to be one of Cal's most reliable pieces.
TEAM COMES FIRST
With freshman Adrian Weinberg winning Cal's starting goalkeeper job, senior and former All-American Bernardo Carelli has played a reserve role in his final year as a Bear. Carelli has logged 126 minutes in goal and tallied 33 saves against 64 shots (.516). The veteran proved his worth on Sept. 22 in a comeback win over Santa Clara. With Cal trailing 6-5 just before halftime, Carelli replaced Weinberg and re-energized Cal's defensive play with three second-half saves and earned the win. The senior then earned his second start of the year at LBSU on Nov. 3 and made 10 saves in the overtime victory.
GLUE GUY
Sophomore Jack Deely's seven-point effort (four goals, three assists) in Cal's 10-7 win vs. UC Irvine on Nov. 10 was a standout example of his well-rounded season. The utility man ranks fifth on the team with 37 points (26 goals, 11 assists) and has 10 drawn ejections and eight steals. Deely has also been held scoreless in just five matches.
NEXT TIME
A MPSF Tournament title and a NCAA Tournament berth will be on the line next weekend when Cal hosts the three-day MPSF Tournament at Spieker Aquatics Complex. Play will begin at 9 a.m. (PT) on Friday, Nov. 22 and conclude with the championship match at 3 p.m. (PT) on Sunday, Nov. 24.
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
GK
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UTIL
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A
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2M
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C
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A
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A
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A
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GK
/ Men's Water PoloThursday, October 05
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