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No. 4 Bears Head To Los Angeles
3/7/2025 3:58 PM | Women's Water Polo
SATURDAY, MAR. 8
NO. 4 CAL (12-1, 1-0 MPSF) AT NO. 3 UCLA (11-3, 1-0) | 1 PM PT
AT SPIEKER AQUATICS CENTER
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SUNDAY, MAR. 9
NO. 4 CAL AT NO. 12 LMU (11-9) | 1 PM PT
AT BURNS AQUATICS CENTER
LIVE STATS | LIVE STREAM
The No. 4 California women's water polo team finishes up a stretch of seven straight games on the road this weekend at No. 3 UCLA and No. 12 Loyola Marymount. The Golden Bears' stellar start to the season has seen them win 12 of 13 games – good for their second-best start to a season in program history – with their only loss coming in a 12-11 thriller to No. 5 Hawaii at the Barbara Kalbus Invitational. Cal is coming off an 18-11 victory at No. 17 San Jose State in its MPSF opener last Saturday, a game which saw leading scorers Ruby Swadling (5 goals) and Elena Flynn (3) once again pace the team on the offensive end.
BEAR NECESSITIES
SJSU RECAP
As has been the case in many of the Bears' 12 wins, they got out to a fast start last Saturday at SJSU and never looked back, outscoring the Spartans 7-2 in the first quarter and 14-7 through three. Swadling put away five goals for the second time this year and Flynn notched her seventh hat trick. It was the third straight time the Bears won their MPSF opener.
WHAT A START
Despite losing key players from last year's lineup, Cal has picked up where it left off following its historic run to the 2024 NCAA championship game. The Bears began the year 9-0 for the fifth time in program history and their current 12-1 mark is second only to their 14-0 start in 2009. All 12 of Cal's wins have come against teams with top-20 national rankings.
LEADING THE WAY
The Bears' ACWPC All-American leaders have continued to power their offense, with Swadling (33 goals) and Flynn (30) becoming the first Bears to reach 30 goals this season while no other Bear has reached 20 goals. Swadling – a two-time 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 Long Beach State on Jan. 26. It was one of seven hat tricks on the season for Swadling, tied with Flynn for the team high.
Flynn – who earned her third consecutive All-America nod in her debut season for the Bears in 2024 after transferring from UC Irvine – has scored multiple goals in 12 of 13 games this season. Janna Tauscher (17 goals), Rozanne Voorvelt (17), Abbi Magee (16) and Julia Bonaguidi (16) make up the rest of Cal's scoring leaders.
NEWCOMERS MAKING WAVES
Thanks to an assortment of brilliant goals to go with one assist, freshman Ester Varró recorded a game-high six goal contributions in Cal's last home win, 18-11 over No. 15 UC Davis on Feb. 15. Three days later, she joined freshman Rosalie Hassett as the only Bears to be named MPSF Newcomer of the Week this season.
Hassett's 14 goals are tied with fellow freshman Miriam Bogachenko for the most among Cal's newcomers, while Varró has scored 12 times.
GOLD MEDAL BEARS
In November, Julia Bonaguidi and 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.
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 143 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).
