March 27, 2007

BERKELEY, CALIF. -

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Sat., Mar. 31 at Hawaii, Duke Kahanamoku Aquatic Complex,
Honolulu, Hawaii 4:00 p.m.

BEARS VISIT RAINBOW WAHINES: No. 5 Cal (8-7, 4-3) competes in one of its most important matches of the 2007 season when it travels to No. 8-ranked Hawaii (10-8, 6-3) in a MPSF showdown Saturday at Duke Kahanamoku Aquatic Complex in Honolulu. The Golden Bears have already faced the Rainbow Wahines twice this season, winning, 5-2, Feb. 4 at the Stanford Invitational, and, 5-4 in overtime, Feb. 24 at the UC Irvine Invitational. Hawaii was the team that knocked Cal out of the NCAA Tournament last year with a 10-8 win over the Bears in the second round of the MPSF Tournament. The two teams, currently fifth (UH) and sixth (Cal) in the league standings, are battling for seeding at this year's MPSF Championship, Apr. 26-29 in Tempe, Ariz. Cal is in its second season under Richard Corso, the 1996 United States men's Olympic coach. In 2006, the Bears were 18-9 and a school-record 9-3 in MPSF competition, placing fifth in the MPSF Tournament.

2007 CAL NOTES: In the Bears' 7-5 loss to San Diego State Mar. 17 at Spieker Aquatics Complex, all of Cal's scorers were freshmen, led by Meghan Corso's two goals, and goals by Julie Oreglia, Darby Anderson and Grace Reynolds. Junior goalie Heather Stuart finished with 12 saves against the Aztecs. It was only the Bears' third home loss in the last two years. Corso, daughter of head coach Richard Corso, is now second on the team with 19 goals, trailing only fellow freshman Reynold's team-high 28 goals (1.87 goals per game, 14th in the MPSF). Junior Molly Hayes is third on the squad with 18 goals and garnered Cal's first MPSF Player of the Week honor this season on Mar. 13. She had a team-high three goals in the 8-6 overtime win at UC Irvine, and had two goals at Long Beach State, including a score with five seconds left in the first period, and a score in the third period on a penalty shot. Hayes now has 46 career goals. This summer she was a first-team USWP All-American and was named MVP of the 20-Under Nationals. Reynolds is the Bears' top scorer as a true freshman, including tallying five goals in her first collegiate match versus Pacific Jan. 31. She had a team-high two goals when Cal upended Hawaii in overtime at UC Irvine, tying the match with 1:11 left in regulation. Junior Vanessa Lindsey ended up notching the match-winning goal versus the Wahines with 1:24 left in the first overtime period, while Stuart finished with a career-high 15 saves. The Bears have played their last four matches without the services of lone senior and three-time All-American Elsie Windes (16 goals, 140 career goals), who is currently with the USA National Team at the 2007 FINA World Championships, Mar. 19-31 in Melbourne, Australia.

NOTING HAWAII: No. 8 Hawaii (10-8, 6-3) is coached by Michel Roy (fifth year) and is led by sophomore two-meter Lisa van Raalte with 30 goals. Last season, Cal won one-of-three matches versus the Wahines - winning, 8-6, in an MPSF match at Spieker Aquatics Complex; but losing, 8-7, in the third round of the Stanford Invitational and, 10-8, in the second round of the MPSF Tournament in Los Alamitos, Calif. Hawaii went on to place fourth at the 2006 NCAA Tournament.

HEAD COACH: Richard Corso (Second year, 26-16, .619), a coaching legend who has served as head coach of both the United States Men's Olympic Team and the Canadian National Team, was named the head coach of Cal women's water polo program on August 25, 2005. Corso served as the United States men's Olympic team head coach from 1992 to 1996. He led the United States to a seventh-place finish at the 1996 games in Atlanta and a gold medal at the 1995 Pan American Games. The 1996 Olympic team included current Cal men's coach Kirk Everist and former Golden Bear standouts Gavin Arroyo, Troy Barnhart, Chris Humbert and Chris Oeding. Prior to assuming his role with Team USA, Corso served as head coach of the Canadian National Team, which finished fourth at the 1991 Pan American Games. He also gained international experience as the head coach of the USA National Junior Team (1984 to 1988) and as goalkeeper coach for the 1984 and 2004 Olympic teams. Most recently, Corso had served as head coach of the Harvard Water Polo Foundation in Los Angeles.

Did You Know?

*Two members of the 2007 Cal squad, junior Molly Hayes and freshman Grace Reynolds, have brothers (twin brother Mike Hayes, Frank Reynolds) who were members of the Bears' 2006 National Champion men's water polo team.

*At the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Cal had three former players (Ericka Lorenz, Heather Petri, Courtney Johnson) compete for Team USA in the first-ever Olympic water polo competition for women, earning a silver medal. At the 2004 Athens Olympics, Lorenz and Petri helped the United States to a bronze medal.

*The Golden Bears have compiled a 253-95 record (.727, 61-18 at Spieker Aquatics, .772) since their charter season as a varsity sport in 1996, including three straight national runner-up finishes from 1996-98 and a MPSF title in 1999.