MPOLO11/18/2023 6:03 PM | By: Cal Athletics
Bears Come Up Clutch In OT Win Over Stanford
No. 2 Cal To Face No. 3 USC In MPSF Final
BERKELEY – Facing No. 4 Stanford for the fourth time this season Saturday in the MPSF Semifinals, the No. 2 California men's water polo team scored the first two goals of overtime and came away with a 15-14 win at Spieker Aquatics Complex.
After a wild fourth quarter that yielded nine combined goals, Garrett Dunn put the Golden Bears (21-4) ahead 14-13 less than a minute into the first overtime period, quickly rocketing it in from the right wing off a feed from Jake Howerton. With 1:09 to go in the second overtime, Nikolaos Papanikolaou was set up on a give-and-go by Max Casabella, catching a lob pass on the move and angling himself before firing in one of the most difficult finishes of the day.
Papanikolaou's third goal of the afternoon gave the Bears a two-score cushion which proved necessary, as the Cardinal (15-8) fell a goal short in the final minute. It was the second time this season that Cal edged Stanford by one goal in overtime and its third win overall within the rivalry.
"It's always a battle with Stanford. We knew they were going to come out with everything they had today," Cal head coach Kirk Everist said. "Our team doesn't panic very often. They kept grinding and found a way to win the game."
Casabella led the way with four goals and five assists. Howerton was huge down the stretch, scoring three of his four goals within the span of three minutes in the fourth quarter.
"Our team has gone through a lot of ups and downs this season and I think we've been resilient in finding a way to win," Dunn said. "As long as we play together as a unit and play Cal water polo, we're going to be just fine."
After trailing for nearly the entire first half, the Cardinal took an 8-7 lead late in the third quarter. Papanikolaou scored on a rebound on the next possession to tie it 8-8, starting a 4-0 Cal spurt. Albert Ponferrada, Casabella and Howerton all put in highlight goals to give the Bears an 11-8 advantage with 6:29 to go in regulation. Stanford kept clawing back until finally tying it 13-13 with 1:06 to go.
Cal's defense sealed the deal in overtime, giving up just one goal while being credited with four clutch steals. As a team, the Bears finished 13 steals to Stanford's three. Goalkeeper Adrian Weinberg registered seven saves and three swipes.
The win places Cal in the MPSF Championship against No. 3 USC, which handed No. 1 UCLA its first loss of the season, 13-9, earlier in the day.
"USC is a very dangerous team," Everist said. "They've found a way to play as a team and you saw that today. They controlled the entire game. We're looking forward to the challenge."
The Bears will look to improve to 3-0 against USC in 2023 in tomorrow's final, which begins at 3:00 p.m. PT.
No. 2 California 15, No. 4 Stanford 14
Cal 4 2 3 4 1 1 – 15
Stan 3 3 2 5 0 1 – 14
Cal Goals: Jake Howerton 4, Max Casabella 4, Nikolaos Papanikolaou 3, Roberto Valera, Albert Ponferrada, Garrett Dunn, Marci Szatmary
Stan Goals: Riley Pittman 5, Alex Gheorghe 4, Jackson Painter 4, Soren Jensen
Cal Saves: Adrian Weinberg 7
Stan Saves: Liam Harrison 17
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