BERKELEY – The No. 4 California women's water polo team jumped out to a big lead over No. 5 Arizona State and staved off any Sun Devil attempts to force the issue as the Golden Bears secured a 14-12 victory to take a spot in the MPSF semifinals. Cal's clash with ASU in the MPSF quarterfinals was a key step toward boosting the Bears' resume for another trip to the NCAA tournament. Cal is now 14-5 overall with its only losses this season to higher ranked opponents. It was the Bears' second win of the year over the Sun Devils.
The Bears proved ready for battle from the start, tacking up the first four goals of the game from the hands of four different Cal players. The Sun Devils got on the board with 4:30 on the clock, only to see the Bears bust out two more strikes –
Kate Meyer's first goal of the year and a laser from
Rosalie Hassett, who would wind up with a hat trick on the day for Cal. Up 6-1 after eight minutes of play, the Bears saw the Sun Devils manage back-to-back goals to open the second frame. Hassett, Dolly Dunn and
Despoina Drakotou would deliver later for the Bears, and it was a 9-4 scoreline at halftime.
ASU could get no closer than two goals away from its hosts edging to 11-9 before
Maria Bogachenko set up
Julia Bonaguidi for a blast that had Cal up 12-9 entering the final stretch. Bonaguidi laced in a slider in the fourth and soon after earned a 5-meter penalty shot for the Bears.
Abbi Magee hammered that home, and Cal gripped a 14-11 advantage with 2:24 to go. ASU connected on a 7-on-6 situation a minute later, but Cal's defense was up for the challenge in the remaining time to lock down the quarterfinal win.Â
MPSF QUARTERFINAL
[4] Cal 14, [5] Arizona State 12
April 10, 2026 | Spieker Aquatics Complex (Berkeley, Calif.)
CALÂ Â 6 - 3 - 3 - 2 = 14
ASUÂ 1 - 3 - 5 - 3 = 12
SCORING:
CAL –
Rosalie Hassett 3,
Despoina Drakotou 2,
Holly Dunn 2,
Julia Bonaguidi 2,
Abbi Magee 2,
Maria Bogachenko,
Julianne Snyder,
Kate Meyer.
ASU – Itziar Almeda 6, Nioka Thomas, Laura Kardos, Camelia Bouloukbachi, Millie Quin, Jelena Butic, Maci Magee.
SAVES:Â Talia Fonseca (CAL) 9, Keri Glad (ASU) 1, Sanne Keijzer (ASU) 6.
NEXT: Cal moves into tomorrow's MPSF semifinals, slated for 12:45 p.m. PT against top-seeded USC. For full tournament results and schedule, visit the Tournament Central page.
NOTABLE:
- With two goals today, Abbi Magee continues to lead Cal with goals scored in 17 games this season.
- With their goals today, Rosalie Hassett (3 goals) and Maria Bogachenko (1 goal) have scored in Cal's last three games.
- Cal is now 2-0 against ASU this season.
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