Oct. 3, 2009

BERKELEY, CALIF. - Despite three goals from senior captain Spencer Warden, including a last second shot from the length of the pool to end the third period, the No. 4-ranked Cal men's water polo team fell to No. 3-ranked USC, 8-6, Saturday, Oct. 3 in a key MPSF match at Spieker Aquatics Complex. Cal, which had fallen behind 6-1 in the first 20 minutes of the match, dropped to 8-3 (0-1 in the MPSF), while the Trojans improved to 10-1 (2-0 in the MPSF).

USC's Matt Sagehorn scored the lone goal in the first period with a lob shot over Cal's sophomore goalie Wil Toppen with 3:32 left in the quarter. Jordan Thompson gave the Trojans a 2-0 lead with a goal with 5:20 in the second period, before the Bears got on the board on junior Brian Dudley's inside score from two-meters with 2:02 in the quarter to make the score, 2-1.

But from that point USC rattled off four-straight points behind two goals apiece from Justin Rappel and Kyle Sterling for a 6-1 advantage. Down 6-1, Cal was able to make a run of its own. Sophomore Luka Saponjic broke the Trojan's streak with a goal at 1:06 in the third period. Then with less than a second left in the period, Warden was able to fire a shot from next to his own goal that skipped past USC goalie Joel Dennerley to end the third quarter.

Warden continued the Bears' momentum into the fourth period with a goal with 5:03 left in the match to get Cal within, 6-4. Unfortunately for the Bears, the Trojans separated themselves again with goals by Peter Kurzeka and J.W. Krumpholz for an 8-4 lead. Cal didn't quit, however, as Warden mustered his third goal of the match with 1:07 left in the game, and sophomore Charlie Steffens notched a goal with 27 seconds remaining in the contest for the final 8-6 score.

"We have to know we are going to be successful, but right now we are not quite there," said Cal coach Kirk Everist. "This team is still learning. Still learning how to be successful and have that confidence. We have the players to get there, but we missed way too many opportunities today. We could have put up a few more scores in the first half."

The Bears will next compete against some of the top teams in the nation during the UCI Invitational, Oct. 10-11, at UC Irvine's Anteater Pool. The Bears are the tournament's fourth-seeded team and open the competition against 13th-seed Pacific on Saturday, Oct. 10 at 10:40 a.m. Cal recently defeated the Tigers, 11-7, Sept. 26 in Stockton.

USC 8, Cal 6
USC	1	3	2	2       - 8
Cal	0	1	2	3       - 6

USC Goals: Kyle Sterling 2, Justin Rappel 2, Matt Sagehorn,
Peter Kurzeka, J.W. Krumpholz, Jordan Thompson.

Cal Goals: Spencer Warden 3, Brian Dudley, Luka Saponjic,
Charlie Steffens.

USC Goalie Saves: Joel Dennerley 9

Cal Goalie Saves: Wil Toppen 4, Justin Parsons 1