April 11, 2007
BERKELEY, CALIF. -
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Fri., Apr. 13 at USC, McDonald's Swim Stadium, 6:00 p.m.
Sat., Apr. 14 at CS Northridge, Matador Pool, 12:00 p.m.
BEARS TRAVEL SOUTH FOR MPSF MATCHES: No. 5 Cal (9-8, 5-4) will be striving for an upset, and looking to boost its MPSF record and seeding for the Apr. 26-29 MPSF Championship, when the Golden Bears travel to No. 3 USC (14-4, 7-2) and No. 19 Cal State Northridge (12-15, 0-8) this weekend. Cal is currently tied for sixth in the conference standings (with San Jose State) and will be shooting to defeat USC for the first time since a 6-5 win at the MPSF Tournament in San Jose on Apr. 8, 2000. The Bears then take on a Matador squad that is winless (0-8) in MPSF play this season. Cal is in its second year under Richard Corso, the 1996 United States men's Olympic coach. In 2006, the Bears were 18-9 and a school-record 9-3 in MPSF competition, placing fifth in the MPSF Tournament.
2007 CAL NOTES: In the Bears' last match Apr. 7 at Spieker, they powered past No. 11 Arizona State, 17-8, behind four goals from junior Molly Hayes and three goals from freshmen Grace Reynolds and Julie Oreglia. Junior goalie Heather Stuart registered nine saves for the second consecutive match. Reynolds is the Bears' leading scorer as a true freshman with 33 goals, including five goals in the season-opener versus Pacific. She also had four goals in a victory over Indiana and sent the Feb. 24 match versus Hawaii into overtime with a goal with 1:11 left in regulation (junior Vanessa Lindsey ended up notching the match-winning goal versus the Wahines with 1:24 left in the first overtime period). Reynolds is 14th in the MPSF with 1.94 goals per match. Hayes, who was Mar. 13 MPSF Player of the Week, is now second on the team with 24 goals, while Meghan Corso, daughter of head coach Richard Corso, is third on the squad with 23 goals. Hayes now has 52 career goals after earning first-team USWP All-America and 20-Under Nationals MVP honors this past summer. Goalie Stuart has recorded 131 saves in 16 matches this season, with a career-high 15 saves in the Bears' 5-4 overtime victory over Hawaii on Feb. 24. Her other top matches this year include 11 saves versus Stanford Feb. 4, and 12 saves versus San Diego State Mar. 17.
RETURN OF WINDES: Cal has regain the services of lone senior and three-time All-American Elsie Windes (17 goals in 12 matches in 2007, 141 career goals), who missed five matches when she was with the USA National Team at the 2007 FINA World Championships, Mar. 19-31, in Melbourne, Australia. Windes played 12 minutes in Team USA's 6-5 gold medal victory over host Australia, and scored a goal in the opening round 9-7 victory versus The Netherlands. Windes had joined former Cal standouts and two-time Olympians Heather Petri and Ericka Lorenz on the victorious United States squad.
NOTING USC AND CS NORTHRIDGE: No. 3 USC (14-4, 7-2) is coached by Jovan Vavic (13th year) and is led by senior Erika Figge with 35 goals. Last season, Cal lost a 7-5 MPSF match to USC, Feb. 17, at Spieker Aquatics Complex. No. 19 CS Northridge (12-15, 0-8) is coached by Molly Barnes (sixth year) and is led by junior Allison Brooks with 43 goals. Last year, Cal defeated the Matadors, 12-3, in an MPSF match, Mar. 12, at Spieker Aquatics Complex.
HEAD COACH: Richard Corso (Second year, 27-17, .614), a coaching legend who has served as head coach of both the United States Men's Olympic Team and the Canadian National Team, was named the head coach of Cal women's water polo program on August 25, 2005. Corso served as the United States men's Olympic team head coach from 1992 to 1996. He led the United States to a seventh-place finish at the 1996 games in Atlanta and a gold medal at the 1995 Pan American Games. The 1996 Olympic team included current Cal men's coach Kirk Everist and former Golden Bear standouts Gavin Arroyo, Troy Barnhart, Chris Humbert and Chris Oeding. Prior to assuming his role with Team USA, Corso served as head coach of the Canadian National Team, which finished fourth at the 1991 Pan American Games. He also gained international experience as the head coach of the USA National Junior Team (1984 to 1988) and as goalkeeper coach for the 1984 and 2004 Olympic teams. Most recently, Corso had served as head coach of the Harvard Water Polo Foundation in Los Angeles.
Did You Know?
*Two members of the 2007 Cal squad, junior Molly Hayes and freshman Grace Reynolds, have brothers (twin brother Mike Hayes, Frank Reynolds) who were members of the Bears' 2006 National Champion men's water polo team.
*At the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Cal had three former players (Ericka Lorenz, Heather Petri, Courtney Johnson) compete for Team USA 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 256-99 record (.721, 62-19 at Spieker Aquatics, .765) 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.
