California Golden Bears Athletics
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Cal Set For Final Regular-Season Home Games
4/12/2024 12:41 PM | Women's Water Polo
Bears Host No. 1 UCLA On Saturday, No. 17 SJSU On Senior Day Sunday
AT SPIEKER AQUATICS COMPLEX | BERKELEY, CALIF.
SATURDAY, APR. 13
NO. 5 CAL (13-4, 2-1) VS NO. 1 UCLA (19-0, 4-0) | 1 PM PT
LIVE STATS | LIVE STREAM
SUNDAY, APR. 14
NO. 5 CAL (13-4, 2-1) VS NO. 17 SAN JOSE STATE (9-10, 0-3) | 1 PM PT
LIVE STATS | LIVE STREAM
The No. 5 California women's water polo team plays its final regular-season home games this weekend, hosting 1 p.m. PT games against No. 1 UCLA on Saturday and No. 17 San Jose State on Sunday. Prior to the game against the Spartans, seven Golden Bear seniors will be honored, including two-time All American goalkeeper Isabel Williams. The Bears are coming off two straight top-10 wins of 10-6 over No. 9 Fresno State and 10-8 against No. 10 Arizona State during the last week of March. Against the Bulldogs, Williams finished with 17 saves to move to No. 2 in all-time career saves at Cal. The Bears have only played against nationally-ranked teams this season, owning a 3-3 record against top-5 teams.
BEAR NECESSITIES
SENIOR DAY
Cal's 2024 senior class includes Williams, Maryn Dempsey, Mallory Reynoso, Mara Loughlin, Maddie DeMattia, Reagan Whitney and Megan Musick. All seven Bears will be honored prior to Sunday's game against SJSU.
LAST MONTH RECAP
Cal ended the month of March with a 5-1 record, earning three top-10 wins. The Bears began the month by winning three straight games, including a thrilling 9-8 home victory over No. 2 Hawaii in which they jumped out to a 5-0 first-quarter lead. After a tough 8-7 defeat at No. 5 USC that went down to the final possession, Cal rebounded with wins of 10-6 over No. 8 Fresno State and 10-8 against No. 10 Arizona State to close out a three-game road trip.
SAVED BY THE ISABEL
All year long, Cal's two-time ACWPC All-American goalkeeper has continued to produce at the most prolific rate of her career, currently leading the conference with career-best marks of 12.4 saves per game and a .669 save percentage. Williams has reached double-digit saves in 14 of 17 games and has tied her career high of 18 saves twice this season. Both times, it led to her being named the MPSF Player of the Week, an honor she has earned on three occasions this season and five times in her career. At 769 career saves, she has moved to No. 2 all time at Cal and is closing in on Stephanie Peckham (816) for the top spot. Williams is the only Bear goalkeeper to earn multiple All-MPSF First Team selections and was recently named to the Cutino Award Watch List for the second straight year.
DEFENSIVE CLINIC
Cal's defense has been at the center of its success so far this season. The Bears have allowed double-digit goals just once and have held opponents to five goals or fewer on seven occasions. They also lead the conference in goals allowed per game (6.4) despite being the only top-5 team to play solely against ranked opponents.
DEMPSEY LEADING THE WAY
Following a sophomore season in 2022 that was cut short due to injury, Maryn Dempsey earned her second MPSF All-Conference accolade as an Honorable Mention in 2023 after finishing third on the team with 34 goals. The Murrieta native is the only Bear that has scored in every game this season, putting in 10 multi-goal efforts for a team-leading total of 30 goals.
IMPACTFUL NEWCOMERS
Cal's newcomers have made a big splash this year, with first-year members of the program accounting for 69 of the team's 191 goals. Two-time All-American and UC Irvine transfer Elena Flynn has found the back of the net 27 times and leads the team with three four-goal performances. She was named the MPSF Newcomer of the Week on March 12 after leading the Bears with four goals in the win over Hawaii.
Former Netherlands youth national team member Feline Voordouw is the Bears' third-leading scorer with 22 goals, having poured in three hat tricks this year. Fellow freshman Julia Bonaguidi – who spent time with Team USA's senior squad for an exhibition series in Australia last year – has totaled 10 goals that were scored in nine different contests.
*2024 Cal Season Stats
MADDIE IN THE MIDDLE
Maddie DeMattia has been one of the Bears' most effective options in the middle. The senior from Simi Valley ranks fifth in the MPSF in drawn exclusions (30) and has scored 15 times. DeMattia has scored eight goals over her last four outings, including her first hat trick of the year in a Mar. 16 win over No. 15 Indiana.
BEARS TO HOST 2024 NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP
For the first time in program history, Cal women's water polo will host the NCAA Championship at Spieker Aquatics Complex, which takes place on May 10-12.
NATIONAL POWERHOUSE
Cal began the year with a No. 4 national ranking (Collegiate Water Polo Association), making it 14 straight years with a top-four ranking in the preseason. The Bears moved up to No. 2 following the second week of the season – earning its first top-two ranking since February of 2022 – and held that spot for a total of three weeks.
STAY POSTED
For further coverage of Cal women's water polo, follow the Bears on Twitter (@CalWWPolo), Instagram (@calwwpolo) and Facebook (CalWomensWaterPolo).
