Every time No. 4 got the ball, the Cal fans at Hillman Aquatics Complex held their breath. With every miss, a groan from the stands echoed across the pool.
And with 4:33 left in the first quarter, it finally happened — Emily Csikos scored. With that, the driver broke the record for most goals in program history.
Csikos and the Cal women’s water polo team played their final away game of the regular season last Saturday, beating CSU Bakersfield, 14-7. It was the fourth consecutive win for the No. 5 Bears (16-5, 2-3) as they head into their last match of conference play this Friday against No. 2 Stanford.
Csikos had been on the cusp of this record, scoring only two goals in total in the past two games. With two goals on Saturday, Csikos finally broke the long wait.
“My initial reaction was honestly just, like, finally,” Csikos said. “I really wanted to break it when my mom was here the game before, but it didn’t happen. I don’t think its totally hit me yet, but it was pretty exciting.”
Csikos is now the new Cal all-time scorer with 214 goals throughout her career. After leading the team with 47 goals this season, the senior broke the 14-year-old record set by Colette Glinkowski.
Considering that Csikos beat this record even with taking last season off while she was training with the Canadian national team, the significance of the record becomes more impressive.
Csikos started the game tied with Glinkowski, who set the record in 1999.
Csikos was not the only player to shine on Saturday. Freshman Kathleen Menz got her second career start for the Bears and had 10 saves for the game. Junior Ashley Young and sophomore Victoria Williams led the Bears with three goals each as Cal continued to stretch its lead against the Roadrunners.
Despite holding just a 7-4 lead at the end of the first half, the Bears outscored CSU Bakersfield, 4-1, in the third quarter. Young and Csikos were the main offensive manufacturers, scoring for three combined goals in the quarter. Senior Remington Price also added to the lead with a goal of her own, giving the Bears an 11-5 lead going into the final quarter.
Cal did not let off of the accelerator, outscoring the Roadrunners once again. Despite giving up two goals, the Bears scored three to stamp the 14-7 win.
As for Csikos, she has at least three more games — hopefully more in the postseason — to continue to pile on to her brand-new record at Spieker Aquatics Center in front of her fans and family.
“Obviously, I was happy and excited, but I think it’ll really set in when my family is visiting and everyone is together during MPSF,” Csikos said.
Alicia Fong covers women’s water polo. Contact her at [email protected].