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No. 3 Bears Fall In NCAA Championship Game

by calbears.com
May 12, 2024

BERKELEY, Calif. – Playing in its home pool Sunday night in its first NCAA Championship final since 2011, the No. 3 California women's water polo team was defeated by No. 1 UCLA 7-4, ending one of the Golden Bears' best seasons in recent memory.

In what was a defensive struggle from the very first possessions, the Bears (19-7) managed to hold their third straight NCAA Championship opponent to a season low in goals, but couldn't find enough offense to end the Bruins' (26-0) undefeated run.

"This was a special season for us. A lot of culture building, a lot of teamwork, and really building family," senior Maryn Dempsey said. "[After the game], we all huddled together and reminded each other of how close we are and the memories that we made. Despite winning or losing, we're just going to remember each other."

Following a scoreless opening seven minutes, Dempsey struck first on a counter-attacking goal from the left wing that sent the Bear faithful at Spieker Aquatics Complex into a frenzy. UCLA was able to tie the game on its final possession of the first quarter and took its first lead several minutes into the second.

Sophomore Abbi Magee earned her second assist with 3:31 to go before halftime, setting up junior Rozanne Voorvelt for a catch-and-release launch into the top right corner that tied it 2-2 heading into the break.

After the Bruins opened the second half with their third goal of the night, Cal got another equalizer on a 6-on-5 with 2:56 remaining in the third, when Voorvelt found senior Maddie DeMattia for a gorgeous first-touch redirect from center that caught UCLA's defense sleeping. That would be the Bears' final goal until the closing moments, when DeMattia converted another power play with 32 seconds left in the game.

Dempsey ended the night as the Bears' leading scorer for the weekend – totaling six goals over three games – and for the season (48). She was named to the NCAA All-Tournament First Team, while goalkeeper Isabel Williams and redshirt junior Elena Flynn both earned second-team honors.

"We had a really nice stretch of representation throughout our squad. They were taught from the best. They were taught how to do it right and how to do it at the highest level," Cal head coach Coralie Simmons said. "We have a really young team that's going to have some really good championship experience under their belt, and that's going to be essential for us moving forward. It's exciting playing at home and I thank Cal for allowing us to be here. This is a special memory that will be locked in forever for me as a coach, for us as a program, and for our athletes."

In her final game as a Bear, Williams finished with a steal to go with 11 saves, bringing her program record-setting career saves total to 885. Her 326 saves on the year are also the most all-time for a single season at Cal.

"I'm just bummed that I don't get to go to the pool on Monday," Williams said. "This was just such a fun year that I don't really care about any other result about it. I just want to be with my family – be with my team. We left a really strong mark and we had fun every step of the way. Now, it's just about how we're going to move on from here, how we're going to stay connected, and when the next Berkeley home game is that we get to show out to."

From a season perspective, the Bears' historic run to their second-ever NCAA Championship game included one of the program's all-time greatest defensive outputs. Led by Williams – who ends her fifth-year senior season with career highs in saves (326), save percentage (.653) and saves per game (12.5) – Cal allowed a nation-leading 6.7 goals per game in 2024.

"When I recruited Isabel, I told her that she was going to have to do big things for us, and she came in and did that. The team really got to rely on her in big moments and have her as the backbone of our defense," Simmons said. "You can be talented but not have the passion to be a student of the game that she does. She brought that piece to the table of just loving the game and loving Cal – of just showing up and competing. And that's infectious. She got to teach the element of being the ultimate teammate."

The Bears also made history by featuring the first female head coach ever in the NCAA Championship game in Simmons, who Williams and Dempsey both thanked for being one of the reasons why they chose to join Cal in 2019 and 2020, respectively.

"[Simmons] and I come from a similar region in the Inland Empire, and I knew I wanted to represent one of the greatest players to come from my area," said Dempsey, who graduated from Murrieta High School in 2020. "There are so many big head coaches out there that are men, and to play under a woman – especially in Berkeley – is a blessing. She has really built us up and instilled a lot of confidence in us. I really couldn't thank her more."

No. 1 UCLA 7, No. 3 California 4
Cal 1 1 1 1 – 4
UCLA 1 1 2 3 – 7
Cal Goals: Maddie DeMattia 2, Maryn Dempsey, Rozanne Voorvelt
UCLA Goals: Panni Szegedi 3, Taylor Smith, Natasha Kieckhafer, Anneliese Miller, Genoa Rossi
Cal Saves: Isabel Williams 11
UCLA Saves: Lauren Steele 17
 

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For further coverage of Cal women's water polo, follow the Bears on Twitter (@CalWWPolo), Instagram (@calwwpolo) and Facebook (CalWomensWaterPolo).
 

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