AT SPIEKER AQUATICS COMPLEX | BERKELEY, CALIF.

SATURDAY, FEB. 15
NO. 4 CAL (7-0) VS NO. 9 UC DAVIS (8-5) | 1 PM PT
LIVE STATS | LIVE STREAM

The No. 4 California women's water polo team returns to Spieker Aquatics Complex on Saturday to host No. 9 UC Davis at 1 p.m. PT. The Golden Bears have gotten out to a 7-0 start to the season, facing only teams ranked in the top 20 in both the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) and Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC) national polls. Seniors Ruby Swadling and Elena Flynn have both scored in every game for the Bears and head into the fourth weekend of the season tied for the team lead with 18 goals.
 

BEAR NECESSITIES
 

AGGIE INVITE RECAP
Cal earned back-to-back double-digit victories last Saturday at the Aggie Invite, downing No. 19 San Jose State 17-6 and No. 20 Pacific 23-8. The Bears were led by junior Abbi Magee, who poured in seven goals over both games, including a game-high four goals in the win over the Tigers. Cal's contributions came from all over the roster, as five different Bears recorded hat tricks on the day and freshmen Rosalie Hassett finished with five points each.

LEADING THE WAY
Cal's offense has been powered by its decorated leading scorers, Swadling and Flynn, both of whom lead the team with 18 goals and three hat tricks apiece. Swadling – a two-time ACWPC All-American who missed the 2024 season to train for the Australia National Team – crossed the 100 career goal milestone with her five-goal season high in the Bears' 16-11 win over No. 7 Long Beach State on Jan. 26. Three-time All-American Flynn – who finished second on the team in 2024 with 44 goals in her debut season at Cal after transferring from UC Irvine – opened the year with a pair of four-goal outings and has a team-high six multi-goal efforts.

2025 Cal Season Stats

STRONG START
This is the ninth time in program history that the Bears have started a season with a record of 7-0 or better. With a win on Saturday, the Bears will improve to 8-0 for the fourth time since 2017.

GOLD MEDAL BEARS
In November, Julia Bonaguidi and Rosalie Hassett competed for Team USA in the 2024 Pan-American Championships, putting away seven and six goals, respectively, on their way to an 18-5 win over Argentina in the final. They became the first Bears to win gold at the tournament since current Cal associate head coach Heather Petri and Elsie Windes in 2011.

Hassett and Bonaguidi have carried that momentum into the season, putting away 10 and nine goals apiece through seven games. Hassett is the only Bear other than Swading and Flynn to score in every game.

2024 RECAP
Boasting the nation's best defense throughout the year, Cal finished as the runner-up in both the NCAA and MPSF Championships, advancing to the NCAA Championship final for the second time in program history. The Bears posted their second straight 19-win season, going 19-7 (.731), good for their highest win percentage since 2018. At the heart of their success was the play of graduated senior goalkeeper Isabel Williams, who set the team's all-time career saves record on her way to becoming the first Bear in program history to win the prestigious Peter J. Cutino Award, given to the top player in the NCAA.

HALL OF FAME COACHING STAFF
Cal head coach Coralie Simmons and Petri are among the most decorated figures in the sport. Simmons – one of the great trailblazers of the women's water polo world who earned two NCAA Player of the Year awards while competing for UCLA, won three NCAA Championships and an Olympic silver medal with Team USA – was one of five members in the 39th induction class of the USA Water Polo Hall of Fame in 2023. Her 138 wins at Cal rank second in program history. Last May, she became the first female head coach in NCAA history to reach the NCAA championship game. Petri – the only four-time female Olympian in Cal history – was named to the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 2023. Joining them on the staff for the fourth straight year is assistant coach Lance Morrison, who played Division I water polo at Pacific.

STAY POSTED
For further coverage of Cal women's water polo, follow the Bears on Twitter (@CalWWPolo), Instagram (@calwwpolo) and Facebook (CalWomensWaterPolo).