BERKELEY – Fourth-seeded California scored three unanswered goals over the final two and a half minutes of play to defeat No. 1 USC, 12-9, on Saturday and advance to the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) Championship title match.
 
The Bears' semifinal victory set up a clash with No. 2 seed Stanford in the championship contest at 3 p.m. (PT) on Sunday at Spieker Aquatics Complex. Stanford bested UCLA, 16-15 in overtime, in Saturday's second semifinal match. Cal, which went 0-2 against the Trojans (13-5) in the regular season, avenged the pair of narrow losses and moved to 14-10 overall.
 
Senior captain Jordan Hoover found himself heavily involved in the match's biggest moments down the stretch. With 2:36 on the clock in the fourth quarter, Hoover broke a 9-9 tie with the eventual game-winner after drawing an exclusion moments prior. Just over 40 seconds later it was Hoover again, drawing a five-meter penalty and allowing Safak Simsek to net the penalty shot for a two-goal lead. Hoover then iced the contest with his third goal with 1:03 remaining.
 
Adrian Weinberg posted 13 saves against 22 shots on goal in the victory, marking the 10th time he's tallied double digit saves this season. He has 22 saves through two tournament matches.
 
Cal led by one at the end of each of the first three quarters. The Trojans' final lead of the game came with 2:12 left in the first half. Trailing 5-4, Nikolaos Papanikolaou found Jack Deely who tied the match at the 1:17 mark of the second quarter. Papanikolaou then pushed Cal ahead, 6-5, with 29 seconds before the intermission. Both teams traded two goals apiece in the third quarter as the Bears took an 8-7 lead into the final frame.
 
After USC seemingly shifted momentum in its favor with a game-tying goal by Jake Ehrhardt with 6:42 left in the fourth, Marko Valecic silenced the Trojans with his lone goal of the match to regain the lead. The Trojans struck once more with 3:06 left before Cal's pivotal finish capped the match.
 
NOTABLES

• This is the second straight season that Cal has reached the MPSF Championship title match.
• Papanikolaou had a game-high five points (two goals, three assists) and has 11 total in the tournament. The freshman added two steals and two drawn ejections.
• Deely finished with four points (two goals, two assists).

NEXT TIME
Cal will face second-seeded Stanford at 3 p.m. (PT) Sunday in the MPSF Championship title match. The match, played at Spieker Aquatics Complex, will be aired live on the Pac-12 Network. The Bears lost, 15-9, to Stanford in the Big Splash on Nov. 9, the only time the two rivals have faced one another this season. The Bears and Cardinal met in last year's MPSF Tournament final as Stanford came out on top, 12-10.
 
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