The NCAA water polo system is biased against the MPSF. Home to the top nine teams in the nation, the MPSF has been the powerhouse of water polo, but year after year, MPSF teams suffered from the weight of its own strength in qualifying for the NCAA tournament. The Cal Read More…
The Cal men’s water polo team filled in the missing pieces splendidly, sweeping all three of its games at the Golden Bear Invitational against top-15 opponents. The No. 3 Bears, led by their young talent, beat No. 15 Santa Clara, No. 13 UC Davis and No. 7 Pacific in three Read More…
The No. 3 Bears will have their first chance to test the effects of their summer training when they open their season in the Golden Bear Invitational at Spieker Aquatics Center this weekend. The matches will be considered scrimmages and therefore will not contribute to the team’s season record. The Bears open the invitational Saturday at 9:30 a.m. against a squad of Cal alumni. Read More…
There was more than a little disappointment when the Cal men’s water polo team ended its season with a 7-6 overtime loss to UCLA in the MPSF semifinals last November after the Bears’ second season in a row ended in an overtime loss to a top-3 opponent. After spending most of the season ranked as one of the top three teams in the country, the Bears missed out on the opportunity to play in the NCAA tournament at Spieker Aquatics Center in Berkeley. Read More…
Luka and Aleksa Saponjic’s parents flew out from Serbia for a match that will never happen. The brothers were supposed to play their first and only championship match together as anchors on opposite sides of the offense. But one goal in one game reversed their team’s fate. The Cal men’s Read More…
The Cal men’s water polo team didn’t know that its last practice would actually be its last practice. One week ago, the team took to the Spieker Aquatics pool for final drills before flying to Los Angeles for the MPSF tournament. The players knew that they’d be back to train Read More…
Luka Saponjic could have saved the game. With 27 seconds left in the final overtime period of Saturday’s 7-6 loss, the senior attacker posted up close to the goal with the ball in his left hand. From his position Saponjic had a chance to score. It was the MPSF semifinal Read More…
The hay is in the barn. There isn’t much the No. 3 Cal men’s water polo team can do in preparation for this weekend’s MPSF tournament. The team has practiced all it can and knows what it does best. The Bears (20-3, 7-1 MPSF) faced every conference rival at least Read More…
It was supposed to be a close game. Heading into Saturday’s match against No. 4 Stanford in Stanford, Calif., the No. 3 Cal men’s water polo team predicted a one-goal margin decided late in the game. After all, that was how the previous two matchups between the rivals ended: in Read More…
Helicopters hovered miles above campus late Tuesday night as the No. 3 Cal men’s water polo team ran 6-on-5 drills. The noise from the rotors cut harshly through the air, forcing coaches and players to raise their voices a few decibels higher just to be heard above the din. Beyond Read More…