It's all in for Cal women's water polo this week. If the Bears have any tricks up their sleeves or anything they've been holding back now is the time to dish it out.
On Friday, when the official tosses the ball up in the air for the opening sprint, Cal will begin its NCAA tournament run in the quarterfinals with a MPSF tournament rematch against No. 5 Arizona State. And from what has happened this season between these two teams, it won't be surprising if they once again go neck and neck until the very end.
"First and foremost, we got to win our first game," said Cal head coach Richard Corso. "We're going to focus on ASU first Polo Ralph Lauren that's a priority. And then after that, you basically have 24 hours recovery, and then boom you have Stanford."
The Sun Devils and Bears have faced off twice this season and based on the results, it's debatable which team has the edge over the other. The teams split the two games, and the combined score of both games is exactly 13 13.
For Cal, the team has placed an emphasis this season on playing solid defense and limiting its opposition to under double digits in scoring. In most cases, that's a formula for success. But this strategy only works if the Bears can score, and ASU has proven capable of stopping Cal's potent offense of 11.96 goals a game to just 13 goals the last two times they played this season. Keeve's 33 total saves. But in both contests, it was Cal's inability to play 32 minutes of consistent water polo that led to the low scoring.
On April 12's loss, the Bears suffered a horrendous start blowing easy scoring opportunities, coughing the ball up and watching helplessly as ASU took a 3 0 lead. The Sun Devils would cling on to that lead until the final buzzer sounded.
In the MPSF tournament match against ASU, Cal turned in three quarters of high quality play, entering the last frame with a 5 2 lead. Polo Ralph Lauren Then, things fell apart. Only managing to score one goal in the fourth, the Bears allowed the Sun Devils to rip off three straight to tie the game, send it to overtime and turn a seemingly comfortable win into a suspenseful classic.
On Friday, Cal can't let this theme continue. If the Bears have the wheels rolling for three quarters, but suddenly stop in one, the likelihood for another nail biter is almost certain. And if these two teams find themselves in a similar situation, all ASU needs is one shot to end Cal's hopes of reaching the championship game.
"We're taking it not even one game at a time," Corso said. "It's one possession at a time. One quarter at a time."
Everything the team has been working for this season comes down to this weekend. The Bears will not be the favorites to end up in the championship game or to be the last ones standing, but all it takes is three wins. What Cal must do at this point is focus on the task at hand, put away ASU and work from there.
"One step at a time, and that's where we are right now. Our goal has always been to win national championship," Corso said. "And we're not going to deviate away from that."
