No. 2(T) Bears Visit No. 8 UC Santa Barbara
SUNDAY, OCT. 2
NO. 2(T) CAL AT NO. 8 UC SANTA BARBARA | CAMPUS POOL | SANTA BARBARA, CALIF.
The No. 2(T) Cal men's water polo team hits the road this week for a visit to No. 8 UC Santa Barbara. The Bears took third place at the MPSF Invite at Stanford last weekend, moving to 11-1 on the season. The second round of the tournament saw Cal de- feat the Gauchos 16-6 in their first meeting this season. UCSB enters the game at 7-8, with four wins over ranked opponents. The Gauchos went 1-3 at the MPSF Invite, beating No. 11 Pepperdine in the first round. Cal leads the nation in goals scored, with 234 through the first 12 games.
BEAR NECESSITIES
PAPA BEAR
Center Nikolaos Papanikolaou won the Cutino Award as the top player in NCAA water polo last season while also taking home ACWPC National Player of the Year honors, and he hasn't slowed down this season. Papanikolaou ranks second in the MPSF with 31 goals after winning the conference scoring championship last year with 68 goals. The three-time All-American also leads the conference with 42 earned exclusions and is in the top-10 in steals and field blocks.
FINE WEIN
Goalie Adrian Weinberg was an ACWPC Second Team All-American last season and is coming off a summer playing with the U.S. National Team. Weinberg saw time for Team USA at both the FINA World Championships and FINA World League Super Final, and is back in Berkeley as arguably the top returning goalie in the nation. Weinberg leads the MPSF with 95 saves.
VALERA VALUE
Attacker Roberto Valera was named the MPSF Newcomer of the Year and an ACWPC Second Team All- American last season, and is off to an impressive start in his sophomore campaign. The sophomore is third in the MPSF with 30 goals scored. Valera racked up 12 goals and five assists over four games at the MPSF Invitational last weekend,
HELPING HANDS
The Bears have had assists on 153 of 234 goals so far this season (65.4 percent). Utility player Jack Deely (26) and attacker Martin Szatmary (22) are first and second in the MPSF in assists.
MORE THAN A SUPPORTING CAST
Nikolaos Papanikolaou was the National Player of the Year last season, but the Bears feature extensive depth and talent that led them to the NCAA crown in 2021. Along with Papanikolaou and Weinberg, ACWPC First Team All-American Jack Deely, who led the MPSF in points and assists last season, is also back in Berkeley. Roberto Valera, the 2021 MPSF Newcomer of the Year, also returns along with fellow ACWPC Second Team All-American Max Casabella. Cal features 10 players who scored at least 10 goals last year.
CAL TO HOST 2022 NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP
Cal's Spieker Aquatics Complex will host the 2022 NCAA Championship on Dec. 3-4. The Bears last hosted the NCAA Championship in 2016, when they defeated USC in overtime in the national championship game. More details - including ticket information - will be announced at a later date.
EVERIST HITS BENCHMARK
Cal head coach Kirk Everist reached a milestone last season when he notched his 400th career win in the Bears' 11-9 victory over San Jose State. Now in his 21st season, Everist features an overall record of 424-128 (.768). Everist won his third career ACWPC National Coach of the Year award last year and third MPSF Coach of the Year accolade.
ABOUT NO. 8 UC SANTA BARBARA
• SR Sam Nangle leads the Gauchos offense with 23 goals this season
• SR Mason Chambliss is the reigning GCC Play- er of the Week, having contributed seven goals and four assists in UCSB's two wins over top-13 teams the previous week