NO. 10 ARIZONA STATE (12-10, 1-4 MPSF) AT NO. 4 CAL (14-6, 2-3 MPSF)
SATURDAY, APRIL 20| 2 P.M. PT | SPIEKER AQUATICS COMPLEX | BERKELEY, CALIF.
PAC-12 NETWORKS



The No. 4 Cal women's water polo team closes out the 2019 regular season Saturday with a top-10 showdown against No. 10 Arizona State at Spieker Aquatics Complex. The Bears are looking to pin down the No. 4 seed in next week's MPSF Tournament at Stanford and can do so with a victory or a San Jose State loss to No. 1 Stanford on Saturday. Cal will honor seniors Madison Tagg, Sarah Siepker, Rachael Lewin, Lauren Charter, Sofia Rivas and Grace Morgan in a special pregame ceremony. The match will also be televised on the Pac-12 Networks with Kevin Danna behind the mic.
 

RAMPING UP
The Bears will be looking to enter next week's MPSF Championships at Stanford with a bit of momentum when they host Arizona State on Saturday. After a scintillating second half in which Cal came back from a 10-3 deficit to lose 13-12 to No. 1 Stanford last Saturday, the Bears took care of business the following day with a 17-5 rout over Indiana. Another solid performance agaisnt the Sun Devils will put Cal in good footing for the postseason, with most likely a first-round matchup against San Jose State at the MPSF Tournament. History has shown a berth in the MPSF semifinals is typically a ticket to the NCAA Championships.

CAL TO HONOR SENIORS
The Bears will honor seniors Madison Tagg, Sarah Siepker, Rachael Lewin, Lauren Charter, Sofia Rivas and Grace Morgan before Saturday's match against Arizona St. Cal's senior class is on the verge of leading the program to its third consecutive NCAA Championships berth, and has combined for 71 victories and a .689 winning percentage during its time in Berkeley. 

GETTING TESTED
The Bears' matchup against Indiana last Sunday snapped a 10-game stretch in which Cal played nine opponents ranked in the top-6 nationally. During that span, Cal notched two defeats over No. 5 Hawai'i and wins over No. 3 UCLA and No. 6 Michigan. Of Cal's five losses during that stretch, three came by one goal and another by a pair of goals. Overall, the Bears have faced nine teams ranked in the top-5 nationally this season and 12 in the top-10.

THE WRIGHT STUFF
Junior Emma Wright is well on her way to a third consecutive All-American honor. She has scored 48 goals in 17 games, giving her a 2.82 goals-per-game average that ranks second in the MPSF. The Bears haven't had a player finish first or second in the conference in scoring since Dora Antal led the MPSF at 2.78 goals per game as a freshman in 2014.

NEW CONTRIBUTORS
With the departure of nearly half of their scoring from last season, the Bears are turning to some less-usual suspects to carry some of the load this season. Sophomore Brigit Mulder has emerged as a top threat with 30 goals after scoring eight times in 14 games last year. Senior Sarah Siepker and junior Hannah DeRose have also responded, combining for 38 goals so far. Each has eclipsed her career-high in scoring, with Siepker tallying 23 goals after previously reaching a high of 10 while DeRose has 15 goals, besting her previous personal mark of nine. 

NEW-LOOK STAFF
Head Coach Coralie Simmons welcomed two new assistant coaches during the offseason, as Molly Barnes and Lazar Andric joined the staff. Barnes served as the head coach at Cal State Northridge for eight seasons while Andric is a former All-American goalie at Cal who has been a member of the Bears' men's water polo staff for the past two years.

ABOUT NO. 10 ARIZONA STATE
• SR Maud Koopman and JR Bente Rogge are both ranked in the MPSF top-10 in scoring
• ASU is 2-9 against top-10 opponents, but six of the losses are by three goals or less
•This is the first time this season the Sun Devils have faced off against the Bears
• CAL ALL-TIME VS. ARIZONA STATE: 25-8