April 5, 2005
BERKELEY, CA -
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Sat., Apr. 9 UCLA, Spieker Aquatics Complex, 12 p.m.
Sun., Apr. 10 UCSB, Spieker Aquatics Complex, 12 p.m.
BEARS HOST TOP-RANKED BRUINS: No. 7-ranked Cal (12-7, 3-4 in MPSF) has the challenge of hosting No. 1-ranked and undefeated UCLA (22-0, 7-0) this Saturday at Spieker Aquatics Complex. The Golden Bears then host No. 8-ranked UC Santa Barbara (12-8, 3-4) on Sunday. Cal has only played three home matches this season, but is 3-0 in those contests, defeating Arizona State (10-2) and San Diego State (10-9 in sudden death overtime) in MPSF matches Mar. 5-6, and No. 15 Hartwick College (9-7) last Wednesday, Mar. 30. The Bears will be playing four of their final five matches at home, including the Big Splash versus Stanford Apr. 23, before hosting the MPSF Tournament Apr. 28-May 1. Cal fell to the Bruins, 8-4, in last season's MPSF Tournament second round, but played UCLA tough during the 2004 regular season, losing 6-5 in overtime in Los Angeles. Cal fell to UC Santa Barbara in a close match last year as well, losing 4-3 in Santa Barbara. One of the Bears' top victories in 2005 was topping Loyola Marymount, 8-4, Feb. 18 in Los Angeles. The Lions were the 2004 national runners-up.
WINDES LEADS CAL: Cal's top player is returning All-American Elsie Windes. Windes, an honorable mention All-American as a freshman and a member of the gold medal-winning USA Junior National Team, leads the team with 34 goals and is 10th in the MPSF with 1.79 goals per game. She tallied four goals in the season-opener at UC Davis and had a team-high three goals in the overtime victory over San Diego State Mar. 6. Cal has had 13 other players score goals this season, including juniors Allison Gold and Lauren McGee with 25 and 17 goals, respectively. The Bears have been utilizing two goalies, junior Alex Feune de Colombi (16 matches, 104 saves) and freshman Heather Stuart (nine matches, 36 saves). Feune de Colombi has recorded 19 saves in the last two matches, including a season-high 11 saves in Cal's last MPSF match at Hawaii Mar. 23.
BEARS VERSUS THE HARTWICK HAWKS: Cal broke a three-match losing streak with its 9-7 victory over Hartwick College. The Hawks were ranked 15th in the nation entering the match and had placed fourth in the last season's NCAA Tournament. The Bears trailed 1-0 after the first period, but outscored Hartwick, 4-0, in the second period on the way to the win. Cal showed balanced scoring with Windes tallying three goals, McGee two goals, and single goals from Gold, Breana Allison, Brittani Llorente and freshman Vanessa Lindsey. Cal is 3-0 at home this season and owns a 46-13 (.780) all-time record at Spieker Aquatics Complex.
NOTING UCLA AND UC SANTA BARBARA: No. 1 UCLA (22-0, 7-0) is coached by Adam Krikorian (seventh year) and led by sophomore Kelly Rulon with 43 goals. The Bruins have outscored their opponents 272-88. Last season, UCLA was third in the MPSF Tournament. No. 8 UC Santa Barbara (12-8, 3-4) is coached by Danielle Altman (second year) and led by junior Alaina Whitaker's 30 goals.
BEARS HOST 2005 MPSF TOURNAMENT: Cal hosts the 2005 MPSF Tournament, Apr. 28-May 1 at Spieker Aquatics Complex. The MPSF champ gets an automatic bid into the eight-team NCAA Tournament May 13-15 at Michigan. The Bears last competed in the national championship in 2000 when it was a 16-team tournament, placing fourth. Cal was national runners-up from 1996-1998.
Amber Drury-Pinto (89-52-1, .630), is in her third season as Cal's women's water polo coach (43-28, .606), leading the Golden Bears to a 17-12 mark last year, including winning five of their last six matches. Drury-Pinto coached Michigan to a 25-13 record, a CWPA Eastern championship and a berth in the 2002 NCAA Final Four, prior to being selected as the Cal women's water polo coach Sept. 4, 2002. In two seasons with the Wolverines, she compiled a 46-24-1 overall record (.655). In the summer of 2002, Drury-Pinto led the USA Junior National Team to a gold medal at the 2002 Junior Pan American Championship. Drury-Pinto has extensive water polo experience as a player and a coach. She was a member of the USA National Team from 1984-94, playing in over 30 international tournaments and competing for the United States at the 1990 and 1994 World Championships. In 1991 and 1994, Drury-Pinto was named United States Women's Water Polo Player of the Year.
Did You Know?
*At the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Cal had three former players (Ericka Lorenz, Heather Petri, Courtney Johnson) and a assistant coach (Bernice Orwig, starting goalie) compete for the United States in the first-ever Olympic water polo competition for women, earning a silver medal. At the 2004 Athens Olympics, Lorenz and Petri helped the United States to a bronze medal.
*The Golden Bears have compiled a 223-79 record (.738) since their charter season as a varsity sport in 1996, including three straight national runner-up finishes from 1996-98 and a MPSF title in 1999.
