The No. 6 Cal women's water polo team makes its first appearance in Berkeley this season when it hosts the Cal Cup this weekend. Games will be played at both Spieker Aquatics Complex and Legends Aquatic Center as the Bears welcome five nationally ranked teams to town. The Bears open play Saturday at 8 a.m. with a rematch against No. 3 UC Irvine, which beat Cal 12-7 at last weekend's Gaucho Invite. The Bears also take on No. 12 UC Davis and No. 18 San Jose State during the weekend.

CAL CUP SCHEDULE
Saturday, Jan. 25
8 a.m.: No. 3 UC Irvine vs. No. 6 Cal (Spieker Aquatics Complex)
8 a.m.: No. 18 San Jose State vs. No. 13 Fresno State (Legends Aquatic Center)
1 p.m.: No. 12 UC Davis vs. No. 2 Stanford (Legends Aquatic Center)
2:15 p.m.: No. 18 San Jose State vs. No. 3 UC Irvine (Legends Aquatic Center)
4 p.m.: No. 13 Fresno State vs. No. 2 Stanford (Spieker Aquatics Complex)
5:15 p.m.: No. 12 UC Davis vs. No. 6 Cal (Spieker Aquatics Complex)

Sunday, Jan. 26 (All Games At Spieker Aquatics Complex)
8:30 a.m.: No. 3 UC Irvine vs. No. 2 Stanford
9:45 a.m.: No. 13 Fresno State vs. No. 12 UC Davis
11 a.m.: No. 18 San Jose State vs. No. 6 Cal
1 p.m.: No. 3 UC Irvine vs. No. 13 Fresno State
2:15 p.m.: No. 18 San Jose State vs. No. 12 UC Davis
3:30 p.m.: No. 2 Stanford vs. No. 6 Cal (Exhibition)

BEARS VS. CAL CUP OPPONENTS
Despite the season being only two weeks old, the Bears already have played two of their three opponents this weekend. Cal opened 2020 with a 12-6 victory over San Jose State, a game in which junior Claire Sonne scored four goals and goalie Cassidy Ball scored a goal and made 12 saves. The Bears then fell to UC Irvine 12-7 at last weekend's Gaucho Invite. Cal is 19-2 all-time against UCI and 54-1 against San Jose St. The Bears last faced UC Davis last season and prevailed, 11-6. Cal is 42-2 all-time against the Aggies.

LEGGETT NAMED TOP NEWCOMER
Freshman Sophie Leggett was named MPSF Newcomer of the Week on Tuesday following her dominant performance at last weekend's Gaucho Invite. She scored nine goals in four games, helping the Bears register wins over No. 7 Michigan and No. 11 UC Santa Barbara. Leggett notched four goals in an 8-5  win over the Gauchos, including the game-tying and go-ahead scores as Cal overcame an early 3-0 deficit. She also had three goals and three field blocks in a 14-13 triple overtime loss to No. 13 UC San Diego.

NEW-LOOK BEARS
In addition to losing its six seniors from last year, Cal is playing this season without Emma Wright, Kitty Lynn Joustra and Elli Protopapas - three of the Bears' top four scorers from a year ago who each are taking this season off to train with their respective national teams in preparation for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Wright, a three-time ACWPC All-American, has already helped Canada qualify for the Summer Games while Joustra (The Netherlands) and Protopapas (Greece) is looking to do the same. Joustra, along with three Cal alums, is currently participating in the 2020 European Championships in Budapest, Hungary. The champion earns an automatic berth to the Olympic Games. Joustra is a two-time All-American while Protopapas was named to the 2018 MPSF All-Newcomer Team and ranked fourth on the the Bears with 31 goals last year. All three players will rejoin the Bears for the 2021 season.

ABOUT NO. 3 UC IRVINE
• Defeated Cal for just the second time ever last weekend at Gaucho Invite
• Beat two top-10 teams to open the season in Santa Barbara
• Anteaters' No. 3 national ranking is the highest in program history
• CAL ALL-TIME VS. UC IRVINE: 19-2

ABOUT NO. 12 UC DAVIS
• Opened the season with wins over Santa Clara and Fresno Pacific at Davis Challenge
• Center Noelle Wijnbelt was the 2019 Big West Freshman of the Year
• Wijnbelt opened the season with a five-goal performance against Santa Clara
• CAL ALL-TIME VS. UC DAVIS: 42-2

ABOUT NO. 18 SAN JOSE STATE
• Opened the season with wins over Santa Clara and Fresno Pacific at Davis Challenge
• Center Noelle Wijnbelt was the 2019 Big West Freshman of the Year
• Wijnbelt opened the season with a five-goal performance against Santa Clara
• CAL ALL-TIME VS. SAN JOSE STATE: 54-1