No. 3 Cal made a loud statement at Spieker Aquatics Complex this weekend, knocking off top-ranked UCLA on Saturday and No. 4 USC on Sunday to complete a home sweep that should send the Bears climbing in the national rankings.
The two wins pushed Cal to 14-4 overall and 3-2 in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, and they also strengthened the Bears’ case for an NCAA Championships berth next month. Cal now has a five-game winning streak and has beaten each of the other three teams near the top of the national picture at least once.
Beso Akhvlediani was the driving force in both matches. The sophomore attacker from Tlibisi, Georgia, totaled three goals and four assists against UCLA, then followed with four goals and three assists against USC. A second-team All-American as a freshman last season, he now leads the Bears with 52 goals and 39 assists.
Cal’s 14-12 victory over UCLA marked the Bears’ second win this season against a top-ranked opponent. Junior Maddox Arlett delivered his first hat trick and added two assists, while freshman Ilias Angelopoulos chipped in two goals and drew four exclusions. Sophomore goalkeeper Aran Pina made 11 saves, and Cal’s defense shut down all 11 of UCLA’s power-play chances.
The next day against USC, the Bears were even more explosive. Junior Patrick Kolak scored a career-high four goals, sophomore Kai Inoue finished with a goal and four assists, Angelopoulos posted his fourth hat trick of the season, and sophomore Tomas Perrone added two goals and two assists. Cal also turned 18 of 29 shot attempts into goals, with Pina recording nine saves.
The Bears still have two regular-season games left against top-10 opponents, including a road matchup with No. 2 Stanford in the Big Splash on Nov.
- The MPSF championships are set for Nov. 20-22 in Los Angeles, and the winner gets the league’s automatic NCAA bid.
That matters because only three MPSF teams will make the eight-team NCAA field, leaving one of the nation’s top four teams on the outside. Cal has been that team the last two years.
Stanford, which is ranked No. 2, also swept the Los Angeles schools, beating USC 17-13 and UCLA 11-8.
With one league match remaining for each school, the MPSF standings read: Stanford 17-2, 4-1; Cal 14-4, 3-2; UCLA 17-3, 2-3; USC 14-5, 1-4.
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