Cal Plays Saint Mary's in MPSF Tournament at Stanford

April 21, 2009

This Week
California (6-10 overall record, 4-2 and tied for 2nd in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation regular season) plays Saint Mary's (3-12, 1-5 MPSF) in the first or quarterfinal round of the MPSF Tournament at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday at Cagan Stadium in Stanford, Calif. The Golden Bears have a 15-1 record in the all-time series with the Gaels, including a 22-13 win over Saint Mary's on April 1 in Berkeley, Calif.

The Golden Bears tied Oregon (11-4 overall) and Denver (10-6) with a 4-2 conference record. The Ducks earned the tournament's No. 2 seed by virtue of compiling an aggregate goal margin of one in head-to-head games with Denver (11-9 win) and Cal (13-12 loss). The Bears' aggregate goal margin is zero, while Denver's is minus one, giving Cal the third seed and Denver the fourth seed. Oregon plays winless Fresno State (0-13, 0-6) at 1 p.m. and the Pioneers play fifth-seeded UC Davis (4-10, 2-4) at 6 p.m. on Thursday.

Host, top-seeded and 14th-ranked Stanford (10-4, 6-0) earned a first-round bye and will play the winner of Thursday's Denver-UC Davis game at 6 p.m. on Friday.

Fans can follow the MPSF Tournament via this link on the Stanford Web site: http://www.gostanford.com/sports/w-lacros/ spec-rel/09-mpsf-championships.html. While GameTracker will not be available for the tournament games, there will be live video of each game available via that Tournament Central link.

Dyson Named Co-MPSF Player of the Week
The MPSF announced on April 20 that Cal senior goalkeeper Morgan Dyson is one of two MPSF Players of the Week this week, after Dyson tied her career high with 16 saves in the 13-12 sudden-victory overtime win over No. 18 Oregon on April 17 in her final home game in Berkeley.

The win lifted the Bears to the third seed in the upcoming tournament. Dyson held Duck leading scorer Ilsa van den Berg to a pair of goals on eight shots, saving four.

Scouting the Gaels
Saint Mary's lost to No. 18 Oregon, 17-10, on April 19 in Moraga, Calif. in its last game. Senior midfielder P.J. Hainley leads the Gaels in points (53), goals (42) and draw controls (39). Junior attacker Abbie Coleman paces the Gaels in assists (18). Sophomore midfielder Ciara Breckenridge leads her team in ground balls (33). Senior goalie Hilary Gardner has a 16.73 GAA in 14 games. Lauren Uhr is in her third season as the Gaels' head coach.

Bears Outlast No. 18 Oregon, 13-12, in Overtime in Home Finale
Molly Everett converted an eight-meter shot in the second overtime to give Cal a 13-12 sudden victory over No. 18 Oregon on April 17. Everett's goal decided the game with 15 seconds remaining in the second overtime. Everett, a sophomore midfielder, tallied the first goals, (3) points (3) and game-winning goal of her collegiate career.

Price, Tickner Among Cal Stat Leaders
Senior attacker Sam Price leads Cal in points (41) and assists (16), while junior midfielder Alex Tickner paces the Bears in goals (27) and is tied with Morgan Dyson for the lead in ground balls (20). Senior attacker/midfielder Elizabeth T Jahp leads the team in draw controls (29). Through 16 starts, Dyson has a 12.90 goals-against average.

Next Game
If Cal defeats Saint Mary's, it would play the winner of the MPSF Tournament quarterfinal between Oregon and Fresno State at 3:30 p.m. on Friday, April 24, in Stanford, Calif.