The Bears open the invitational Saturday at 9:30 a.m. against a squad of Cal alumni.
The first taste of outside competition will come on Sunday. Cal will open the day at 10:15 a.m. against No. 15 Santa Clara. The Bears will play their second game at 1 p.m. against No. 13 before wrapping up the weekend at 3:30 p.m. against No. 7 Pacific. The Bears’ three opponents — as well as Long Beach City College — will also face each other at Spieker throughout the day.
Despite facing three of the nation’s top-15 teams, the Bears do not seem to be worried about the weekend’s matches.
“We’re just getting some time against people other than ourselves,” head coach Kirk Everist said. “We’re still getting our first look at each other.”
The invitation will give Everest a more accurate idea of how his team stacks up against top competition. It will also help the coaching staff decide how to best fill the gaps left by 12 departing seniors last season.
“We’re definitely a very different team this year,” Everist said. “We lost a tremendous amount of talent, including five or six guys that were really major contributors.”
The Bears have plenty of talent to replace the missing pieces from last year. Sophomore Max Bergusen was a key contributor to the Bears’ 2010 NCAA finals run as a freshman, but redshirted last season while recovering from a shoulder injury. The left handed attacker is likely to be a key to the Bears’ success this season as a big body contributing from the right side.
Sophomore Aleksa Saponjic was the team’s third leading scorer last season and gained international experience playing for the Serbia in the Olympics this summer.
Heading into the weekend, Everist has a positive outlook on his team but is looking for a few players to bridge the gap between depth and experience.
“It’s a team that has potential to take it a step further than last year,” Everist said. “But we have some kids that we are going to need to step up.”
One of the Bears’ biggest strengths is the leadership and experience of senior and team captain, goalie Justin Parsons. This weekend’s games will provide the opportunity to build a strong defense in front of the 2011 All-American.
Although only scrimmages, this weekend’s games could have a significant impact on the way that the Bears looks for the remainder of the season.
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