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California Golden Bears Athletics
Bears Claim Water Polo Bronze
8/11/2024 2:08 PM | Men's Water Polo, Olympics
Cal Trio Helps USA Reach 1st Olympic Podium Since 2008
PARIS – It had been 16 years since USA men's water polo last stood on an Olympic podium, but the drought ended Sunday morning as the resilient 2024 American squad – led defensively by goalkeeper Adrian Weinberg – defeated Hungary for the bronze medal in a thrilling 11-8 penalty shootout victory.
Cal's four-time All-American goalkeeper earned his third straight player of the game honor after racking up an Olympic-best 16 saves, the last of which came on Hungary's second of three straight missed attempts in the shootout. Luca Cupido and Johnny Hooper scored a goal for their fourth and third games in a row, respectively.
Weinberg finished his debut Olympic Games averaging 11.8 saves per game, easily eclipsing the 10 saves he averaged during the Golden Bears' third consecutive run to an NCAA title in 2023. He saved his best for last, starting with a heroic 11-save performance against Australia in the quarterfinals where he saved three total penalties. Weinberg went on to concede just four times against the 11 penalties he faced during the knockout round.
After dropping two of their first three group stage matches, USA bounced back in a big way for the rest of the tournament. Weinberg had 13 big saves in a 12-7 win over Montenegro to clinch a spot in the quarterfinals. All three Bears contributed in USA's 14-11 win over Croatia, with Cupido and Hooper making the scoresheet together for the first time in Paris.
USA dug deep in the quarterfinal round against Australia, tying the game 7-7 with 32 seconds left. Weinberg came up with a steal on Australia's final possession of regulation and made back-to-back unforgettable saves in the penalty shootout, catapulting the Americans into medal contention.
Following a 10-6 defeat to Serbia in the semifinals, USA moved on to face Hungary – a team that owns more Olympic water polo medals than any other nation with 16 – in a rematch of the 2008 gold medal match. Despite leading through three quarters, USA fell behind 8-6 with just 3:22 to go, but once again would stage a dramatic rally late to send the game to a shootout. The Americans made all three of their penalties, while Hungary missed the mark on three straight.
Hooper finished his second Olympic run with six goals, including one two-goal effort in the group stage. Cupido – who became the second Bear men's water polo player since 1952 to appear in three Olympics – scored five times over the last six games. Weinberg also added a goal of his own, putting down one of the best highlights of the tournament with a length-of-the-pool buzzer beater in the group stage against Greece.
Cal's bronze medal-winning trio brought the Bears' total medal count to 23 for this Olympics, tying Cal's all-time record.
Adrian Weinberg faced 11 total penalties in the knockout rounds.
— Cal Water Polo (@CalWaterPolo) August 11, 2024
Only 4 made it in the net ??
What an Olympic debut! ??? @usawp
?? https://t.co/Co1cDG9Igk pic.twitter.com/35Q8HGmk9S
