Quick Overview:
The No. 3 Cal men’s water polo team completely annihilated a lagging No. 4 Stanford, 11-4, at the Avery Aquatics Center in Stanford, Calif., on Saturday. A product of a lethal defense and seamless transitions, the Bears launched a seven-goal attack in the first half that left the Cardinal lethargic for the rest of the game.
For the second year in a row Cal also won the Heaston Trophy, awarded annually to the winner of the Big Splash.
“There were just all these emotions,” senior co-captain and National Player of the Year Ivan Rackov said about lifting up the trophy in front of the Cal cheering section. “It’s really a tremendous feeling.”
The Shot(s) Heard ‘Round the World:
Or at least heard throughout the Stanford campus. Both schools were well-represented in the stands, as it’s a tradition among fans (regardless of location) to attend the Big Splash before heading over to the Big Game afterward.
Stanford’s chants overwhelmed the pool deck just before the first sprint, and once again within the first two minutes of play as Stanford nabbed the first goal of the day. But those in red were rapidly silenced as freshman Aleksa Saponjic took two quick goals for Cal.
Stanford managed to score exactly one goal each quarter, but even those four points were a last-ditch effort. The Cardinal wasn’t even scoring points to keep the game close; rather, it looked like the team was scoring simply to stay relevant, to put at least a few points up on the board in the midst of a lost battle.
“I don’t know what happened to Stanford,” Rackov said, a refrain that both Cal coach Kirk Everist and Saponjic reiterated. And indeed, it’s hard to pin down the reason behind the Cardinal’s below-par lackluster abysmal performance in its last conference match of the season. If anything, the win goes directly to Cal’s defense, which promptly shut down Stanford before the latter could get more than three shots and killed seven straight power plays. By the end of the match Stanford had only capitalized on one man-up advantage, while Cal broke even on its own extra-man’s edge.
Cal’s goalie, Justin Parsons, also deserves ample credit on the impenetrable defensive line. The junior notched 15 steals and even four assists, becoming just as active as the defenders in front of him.
Meanwhile, a stifling defense equaled an explosive offense, as Cal was able to capitalize on turnovers after field blocks or interceptions. Saponjic had arguably his best game of the season with three goals, while sophomore Collin Smith also added three points in his third consecutive standout game (in the previous two conference matches Smith clinched the game-winners).
“Every player played not for himself,” Saponjic said. “This is what we needed before MPSF.”
What’s Next:
Saturday’s win afforded Cal the No. 2 seed in this weekend’s MPSF tournament. The Bears will take on No. 5 UC Irvine on Friday at 11:30 a.m. If they win, they’ll battle the winner of the UCLA-Pepperdine match on Saturday.
Best case scenario, Cal needs to win this tournament to clinch a spot at the NCAA’s. In that scenario Cal would topple No. 1 USC in the final, giving the undefeated-in-conference Trojans the at-large NCAA bid.
However, the fate of the at-large bid ultimately lies in a Cal-UCLA matchup. The Bruins are tied for first in the nation and were on a nine-goal tear until they fell to USC last weekend; if UCLA tops the Bears then it as good as clinches the at-large bid. But if Cal beats the Bruins (which it did in two of three contests this season), then it’s up in the air.
But the Bears are keeping their expectations in check and taking the tournament one day at a time. After all, they’ll have to top the Anteaters before they can even start looking toward the next game.
“All the guys realized there are three weeks left in the season,” Saponjic said. “We got to do our best. We all realize we are a national championship team this year. Now is the time to show that.”
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