AT SPIEKER AQUATICS COMPLEX | BERKELEY

LIVE STREAMS | LIVE STATS (ALL GAMES)

THURSDAY, OCT. 19
NO. 2 CAL (13-3) VS. NO. 16 FORDHAM (14-3) | 2 P.M. PT
NO. 2 CAL (13-3) VS. WEST VALLEY (19-2) | 4 P.M. PT

FRIDAY, OCT. 20
NO. 2 CAL (13-3) VS. BUCKNELL (10-9) | 2 P.M. PT

SATURDAY, OCT. 21
NO. 2 CAL (13-3) VS. NO. 8 LONG BEACH STATE (14-7) | 12 P.M. PT
NO. 2 CAL (13-3) VS. UC MERCED (12-15) | 2:30 P.M. PT

The No. 2 California men's water polo team closes out its 2023 nonconference schedule with five home games in three days this week at Spieker Aquatics Complex. Playing without two-time reigning national player of the year Nikolaos Papanikolaou over their past three games, the Golden Bears went 1-2 against top-three teams, falling in close games to No. 1 UCLA and No. 3 Stanford and coming back from a three-goal second-half deficit to defeat then-No. 3 USC 10-9 on Oct. 8. Cal has met just one of this week's five visiting opponents so far this season, defeating No. 8 Long Beach State 10-6 in the Overnght MPSF Invitational quarterfinals back on Sept. 23.
 

BEAR NECESSITIES

BIG SPLASH RECAP
In their only game last week, the Bears nearly shocked No. 3 Stanford with a late surge that took three goals off a four-goal Cardinal lead in the final frame. Roberto Valera scored a team-high three goals, including two in a row to spark the fourth-quarter run. Shortly after a Max Casabella penalty made it 9-8 with 58 seconds remaining, Cal had a chance to equalize, but couldn't get a clean look on its final offensive possession.

COMEBACK KINGS
Two of the Bears' 13 wins required huge second-half comeback efforts. Cal capped a 15-game win streak in its win over Stanford on Sept. 23 thanks to a frenzied 5-0 spurt over the final 6:02 of regulation to send the game into overtime tied 14-14. Albert Ponferrada later scored the winning goal in sudden-victory overtime. It was the second four-goal, fourth-quarter comeback victory of the win streak, echoing last year's improbable 13-12 win over USC in the national championship game. In the Bears' most recent win on Oct. 8, they erased a three-goal Trojan advantage in the second half despite playing without Papanikolaou. Late goals by Jake Howerton and Ponferrada sealed the 10-9 victory, Cal's sixth straight over USC.

BRICK WALL
Currently in the midst of another stellar season in his fifth year at Cal, three-time All-American Adrian Weinberg has been announced to the Team USA roster for the 2023 Pan American Games, which begin on Oct. 30 in Chile. This will be Weinberg's fourth different international tournament of 2023, who was Team USA's top option at goalkeeper at both the Men's Water Polo World Cup and the World Aquatics Championships. Weinberg currently ranks 10th in the MPSF in steals (19) and is second with 134 saves, averaging 9.8 per 32 minutes. He and the Bears' defense have been active and cohesive, holding opponents to single digits in 12 of 16 games. With 915 saves in his career, Weinberg has moved into the MPSF's all-time top five and is on pace to crack the top three before the end of the year.

SIZZLING SPANIARDS
Cal's junior All-American attackers have been powering the offense from the perimeter, resulting in a team-leading 38 goals for Max Casabella and 35 for Roberto Valera. Valera – who was named the first MPSF Player of the Week of the season – leads the MPSF in both assists (46) and points (81) by a significant margin. There have been just four games this season where neither player recorded a hat trick. Casabella has done it a team-leading eight times, while Valera has done so on seven occasions. Casabella also leads Cal's field players with 17 steals.

PAPA BEAR
Injuries have kept two-time reigning Cutino Award winner Nikolaos Papanikolaou out of five games this season, but when he's been in the pool, he has continued to show why he is considered one of the best players in the nation. Despite the missed time, Papanikolaou still leads the MPSF with 51 exclusions drawn, including nine earned penalties. He has scored 25 times, with his most recent goal tying him with Ivan Rackov (235 career goals) for No. 3 all time at Cal. Papanikolaou also remains first on the team and third in the conference with nine field blocks. The Bears own a 9-1 record when their star center is in the lineup.

REPEAT SUCCESS
No men's water polo program has won more national championships than Cal, which claimed its 16th in 2022 in legendary fashion by coming back from four goals down over the final six minutes to defeat USC 13-12 in front of its home crowd at Spieker Aquatics Complex. Papanikolaou finished the game with seven goals and eight earned exclusions. It was the second straight year that the Bears clinched the title against USC by the same final score. Out of Cal's 16 championships, only two of them (1977, 2016) were not part of a back-to-back run. Only three times in NCAA men's water polo history has a team completed a three-peat, with the Bears doing so twice from 1973-75 and 1990-92.

STRONG RETURNING CAST
The 2023 Bears are made up of a highly experienced group of returners that includes eight fifth-year seniors and almost the entirety of their championship-winning starting lineup. Four of Cal's five All-Americans are back, with third-team selection Valera joining first-team returners Casabella, Papanikolaou and Weinberg. Sophomore Albert Ponferrada has been one of the most impactful players on the team this season, with his 32 assists and 26 goals ranking second and third on the squad, respectively. Juniors George Avakian and Jake Howerton have both seen increased roles through 17 games, currently tied for fifth on the team with 14 goals apiece. In all, Cal brings back seven of the eight players who scored at least 20 goals last season.
*2023 Cal Men's Water Polo Team Statistics

ALL HE DOES IS WIN
Kirk Everist began his 22nd season as Cal's head coach fresh off his second straight national coach of the year honor – his fourth overall – and his record-breaking third consecutive MPSF Coach of the Year award. The USA Water Polo Hall of Famer owns an all-time coaching record of 449-132 (.773) and has won seven national championships at Cal, five coming as a coach and two as a player.

BEARS EARN NO. 1 PRESEASON RANKING
For the second straight year, the Bears began the season as the nation's top-ranked team, as Cal topped both the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) preseason poll and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) coaches poll. This marked the fifth time since 2008 that the Bears started the year with a No. 1 national ranking.

BEARS WITH BRAINS
Excelling both inside and outside of the pool, the Bears hauled in numerous academic awards from the 2022-23 school year, including 15 ACWPC All-Academic nods – tied for the program's most since 2009. They also brought in nine MPSF All-Academic and Pac-12 Honor Roll honors, while individually, Jordi Gascon earned a spot on the College Sports Communicators (CSC) At-Large Academic All-District Team.

STAY POSTED
For further coverage of Cal men's water polo, follow the Bears on Twitter (@CalWaterPolo) and Instagram (@calmwaterpolo).