BERKELEY – The best way for the No. 4 Cal women's water polo team to get its offense going Sunday was to stop No. 6 Michigan's.

All-American goalie Madison Tagg made nine saves – including a handful of spectacular stops in the second half – and her teammates fed off her performance to notch a come-from-behind 11-7 victory at Spieker Aquatics Complex.

Tagg and the Bears' defense held the Wolverines to just one goal in the second half while Cal erupted for five fourth-quarter goals for its fifth victory over a Top-10 opponent this season.

"I think they look back and see (Tagg) make a big block and think, 'OK, she's doing her job. Now I need to do mine'," Cal head coach Coralie Simmons said. "There's nothing better than seeing six athletes revved up and ready to go and play offense because their goalie is holding it down."

Cal (12-3) trailed 7-6 entering the fourth quarter, and it could have been worse had it not been for the play of Tagg. She made elite saves on three consecutive possessions in the third quarter to keep it close, and her field players went to work after that.

Junior All-American Emma Wright tied it at 7-7 less than a minute into the final period and sophomore Elli Protopapas gave the Bears their first lead of the game a minute later. Sophomore Brigit Mulder scored two of the final three goals to give her a hat trick and Cal closed it out.

"In my mind, I'm just trying to do anything to help the team and push us to be more confident on offense," said Tagg, the reigning MPSF Player of the Week. "If I can make a big stop, it's a big motivator for the team to use that into our offense."

Mulder, a former member of the Dutch Youth National Team, has emerged as one of Cal's top offensive threats this season. She ranks second on the team with 24 goals after scoring eight in 14 games as a freshman last year.

"She had moments last year and it took her awhile to come out of her shell," Simmons said. "She had to be willing to miss shots. That's all part of the game. I told her between the third and fourth quarter that she isn't allowed to pass up any open shots. She has to shoot."

Things didn't look too promising for the Bears early on, as the Wolverines, coming off an 8-7 victory at No. 7 Pacific on Saturday, opened up a 3-0 lead less than halfway through the first quarter. Cal eventually tied it at 4-4 but Michigan went back in front 6-4 on two goals during the final 85 seconds of the first half.

That's when Tagg took ownership of the proceedings, and her teammates took the cue.

"I think the change in the second half was that we understood we had to play together," Tagg said. "When we faced some adversity, we looked for each other. We can't rely on one person specifically. It's nice to work for each other. You could see in the first half we weren't doing that."

Wright had two goals for the Bears, as did senior Sarah Siepker.

Cal will return to MPSF play Saturday when it visits No. 19 San Jose State at Noon.


No. 4 Cal 11, No. 6 Michigan 7
UM 4 2 1 0 – 7
Cal 2 2 2 5 – 11
Michigan Goals: Abby Andrews 3, Maddy Steere, Kim Johnson, Julia Sellers, Kathy Rogers.
Cal Goals: Brigit Mulder 3, Emma Wright 2, Sarah Siepker 2, Claire Sonne, Elli Protopapas, Georgia Bogle, Hannah DeRose.
Michigan Saves: Heidi Ritner 7.
Cal Saves: Madison Tagg 9.