https://calbears.com/sports/womens-water-polo/roster/2020
Cal has ten freshmen recruits but apparently has lost two of their best returnees. The team's high scorer Emma Wright from last season with 67 goals is gone. The #4 scorer Elli Protopapas with 31 goals has vanished, too. Wright helped Team Canada qualify for the 2020 Olympics in Japan so perhaps that's why she is not back for her senior year. Protopapas would be a junior this season but is no longer a member of the team. She is from Greece.

https://calbears.com/news/2019/12/16/womens-water-polo-bears-add-two-for-2020-season.aspx

Does anyone have any inside info about the two stars that are MIA? Any rumors about any of the newbies?
I see that two are goalies and eight are position players. It will tough to replace Emma Wright. GO BEARS!

2020 is an Olympic year & could be taking the yr off. I know Wright is now playing for the Canadian National team. In 2016 yearm out 2 Hungary and 1 Spanish WP players sat out the year for the same reason.

Wright is training with theCanadian National team this year. The Canadians have qualified for the Olympics. Kitty Lynn Joustra is training with the Dutch team. Elli Protopopus is training with the Greek National team. Both teams should qualify for the Olympics. As far as I know, all are expected back next season.

Stanford, USC and UCLA and Hawaii all have international elite players training with the US and other national teams this year. For that reason this year is hard to handicap.

Thanks, Polodad, for bringing some perspective to the big picture! I hope that the trio does return next season.

The Bears are back in the water today after a 3 week vacation. Season opens next Saturday at San Jose State at noon. The first look at the new Bears at home is at Cal Cup on Saturday, Jan 25.

Go Bears!

The Bears certainly have a challenging early schedule kicking off with SJSU, looking to be significantly improved with no Olympic players missing and the new coach who has the team chemistry in a better place then at the UCSB invitational the weekend after against perennial top 10 Michigan and UCI along with games against top 10 challenger UCSB and UCSD. The following two weekends are at home in the Cal invitational and Stanford invitational against more top 10 teams: UCI (again), UCD (both weekends), Michigan (again), Stanford (both weekends) plus SJSU (again)...thank goodness the Stanford game in Berkeley looks to be an exhibition.

Contrast that with the U$C schedule over the same 4 weekends that only has them playing in the Cal Baptist invitational the same weekend as the Cal invitational...and the CB weekend will not have any perennial top 10 teams.

UCLA has a little more challenging schedule over the same time period in the number of games, playing in the UCSB and Michigan invitationals plus their own "mini-tournament", but they do not play either Cal, Michigan or UCI in SB and their mini-tournament is against third tier Fresno State and LMU. The only perennial top 10 teams they are facing over the two weeks will be Michigan and Pacific in Ann Arbor...and UOP will be missing Kyra Christmas (training with the Canadian NT preparing for Tokyo) so likely not top 10 this year.

Stanford's schedule is slightly more challenging that UCLS, playing against Cal, UCI, UCD and Michigan...they are missing the most impactful players with the USA NT in Fischer and Neushul.

Bottom line is that the schedule will test all the new faces, replacing 7 of the first 10 in the rotation graduated or gone with their respective national programs.

91Cal-I didn't quite realize how short-handed the offense could be this season. Brigit Mulder, Hannah DeRose, Claire Sonne & Carla Traplin are the only double-digit scorers returning this season. Four of the top five scorers are gone. The Bears also will have a new goalie.

https://calbears.com/documents/2019/1/28/1_22_18.pdf?path=wwpolo

Any rumors out yet regarding new players that may have an impact? The offensive void could also be filled by Georgia Bogle, Georgia Gilmore & Jackie Sanders. This trio exhibited scoring potential and their respective roles
could expand with more playing time in 2020. How about Cynthia Mulder's development? GO BEARS!

The Bears will find scorers. Everyone on the roster was a scorer before arriving at Cal. Last year's top scorers were also the top shooters. Those shots will be distributed this year.

https://calbears.com/news/2020/1/7/womens-water-polo-bears-lay-foundation-with-impressive-recruiting-class.aspx

Here's a super impressive 2021 nine member recruit class 100% from Southern California! GO BEARS!

Schroeder71 said:

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https://calbears.com/news/2020/1/7/womens-water-polo-bears-lay-foundation-with-impressive-recruiting-class.aspx

Here's a super impressive 2021 nine member recruit class 100% from Southern California! GO BEARS!

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I read the article. Was a little strange because they listed the players' hometowns, but only a few high schools. I noticed there weren't any all-amercas, but perhaps they don't have that in women's water polo. Seems like the program is on the comeback, but still a step or two behind the other Big 3.

The season opener is this Saturday at noon at San Jose State. The Spartans looked better than I had expected in the November exhibitions, so should be an early test for the Bears.

The pre-season coaches pool is out. The poll has the Bears at #4, behind USC, Stanford, and UCLA. The rationale seems to be that USC is hurt less than Stanford by the redshirts training with various national teams. I agree with that but UCLA may be undervalued in this poll.

https://thefosh.net/livestats.php?gameid=9496

I followed the live stats and Cal rallied to win 12-6. The Bears trailed 4-2 after the 1st quarter but, thereafter, dominated the match, 10-2! I was surprised that Cal's top returning scorer, Brigit Mulder, was held scoreless. Claire Sonne evidently had a big match with four goals and an assist. Center Hannah DeRose scored twice. Three freshmen registered their initial college goals: Shea Salvino, Cecily Turner & Sophie Leggett.

The only obvious statistical weakspot was Cal's powerplays (0-6). Overall, the team shooting % was .414. San Jose State was held to a team shooting percentage of .200. GO BEARS!

S71
Great post. I attended and would add that Cal played 16 field players, including 5 frosh. That's going deep into your bench. The defense looked good to me. Ball was solid in goal and the Bears mixed in pressing defenses with their more typical dropping D to prevent passes going into center. SJS never seemed to get an offensive rhythm going. Hence, 2 1/2 quarters scoreless.

Two other points. Sonne took 8 shots and hit 4.
That's big. The Bears had a big productive edge at the center position, with DaRosa, Raisen and Gilmore all scoring out of center.

Cal (3-2) split four games this weekend at UC Santa Barbara. The Bears lost by 5 goals to UCI and by 1 (14-13) in triple OT to UCSD. Cal edged Michigan by 1 goal and UCSB by 3...It's a good thing that a UC system league does not exist (LOL)! Next weekend-Cal will host UC Irvine and UC Davis plus San Jose State.
https://ucsdtritons.com/sports/womens-water-polo/schedule
UCSD nearly upset #2 UCLA, too. I predict a lot of upsets this season due to the Olympics. GO BEARS!

I noticed that Cal has failed to outscore any of their five opponents in the opening period. The Bears have been outplayed and out defended, 18-11. Why is the defense so lethargic to start?

SJS led 4-2
UCI led 4-3
UCSB 3-1
UM led 3-1
UCSD 4-4tie

If Cal spots Stanford, USC & UCLA leads out of the box-they'll have great difficulty ever beating 'em.GO BEARS!

Schroeder71 said:

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I noticed that Cal has failed to outscore any of their five opponents in the opening period. The Bears have been outplayed and out defended, 18-11. Why is the defense so lethargic to start?

SJS led 4-2
UCI led 4-3
UCSB 3-1
UM led 3-1
UCSD 4-4tie

If Cal spots Stanford, USC & UCLA leads out of the box-they'll have great difficulty ever beating 'em.GO BEARS!

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It's actually even more drastic when you look at the scores within the first & second quarters (thefosh.net), falling behind:

4-2 and 6-3 to UCI (Cal never led and never came close than 3 goals)
3-0 to UCSB (first Cal lead in 6:42 of the 4th quarter)
4-1 to Michigan early in the second and 5-2 at half (first lead at 6:54 of the 4th)
4-1 to UCSD after having taken the lead at 1-0

How much of this is due to a very hard workout regimen with classes not starting until this week?

Well...one game in the books and the biggest loss of last weekend avenged with a 12-11 victory over UCI where Cal did not fall behind by more than 1 goal and took a 4-3 lead in the first quarter.

The team looked to have their legs and there were lots and lots of subs at almost every break.

Bears take on UC Davis at 5:15 at Spieker. Full day of games at Legends this afternoon until Stanford v. Fresno St at Spieker at 4 and at Spieker all day tomorrow, starting with UCI v. Stanford at 8:30 and wrapping with Cal v. Stanford at 3:30 in an exhibition.

Great news! UCI previously beat us by five goals so today's one goal triumph is a six goal improvement! HUGE!
GO BEARS!

Cal erased the good from Saturday by losing to SJS at home on Sunday. The Bears led the Spartans 7-5 after three periods but was outscored 4-1 in the final stanza to lose 9-8 to a team with a losing record. It appeared from the score sheets that a few Cal players did not participate this weekend. This team is too thin to have Sophie Leggett, CarlaTraplin, etc not available

https://s3.amazonaws.com/mgoblue.com/documents/2020/2/1/20200201_wpw_california.pdf
Bears defeat Big Blue, 10-8, this morning. Junior Georgia Gilmore had her first 3 goal game of her
Cal career to spark a comeback. The Bears continue to be outscored in the opening quarter but comeback
late. Michigan captured the lead 8-7 in the third quarter but Cal rallied to tally the final three scores for the win.

https://calbears.com/news/2020/2/1/womens-water-polo-no-6-bears-get-by-no-7-michigan-10-8.aspx

It appears that Traplin, Leggett & Turner are still out this weekend. GO BEARS!

Gilmore was a beast today! Dominating at 2m while the outside shots weren't exactly falling...Bears looked solid overall turning in a workmanlike couple of wins, getting playing time for lots of players.

UOP is live streaming tomorrow's game at 1:00 Pacific here: https://calbea.rs/3bkvMSf

Go Bears!