Casabella, LaGrange Lead Bears To Win
Cutino Award Watch List Honoree Casabella Tallies 5 Goals
SANTA CLARA – The No. 9 California men's water polo team earned its second straight win Thursday at No. 17 Santa Clara, led by five goals and an assist by senior Max Casabella.
Casabella – who earlier in the day was named to the Cutino Award Watch List for the second straight year – became the first Golden Bear to reach 40 goals on the season, scoring at least once in each period to bring his total to a team-best 42 through 17 games.
Making his first start of the year at goalkeeper, redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Max LaGrange registered a career-high nine saves. Junior Albert Ponferrada added two goals and an assist.
Junior Nik Mirkovic put away the first goal of the game at the 6:27 mark of the first quarter and the Bears (10-7) ended the opening period on a 4-0 run, getting goals from five different players. Santa Clara (9-5) cut into Cal's lead in the second and came within a goal late in the half, but Casabella sent the Bears into halftime leading 8-5 with two strikes in quick succession in the final minute.
Despite being outscored by the Broncos for the second straight quarter in the third, Cal finished the period strong once again with late goals by Gascon and Casabella to head into the fourth up 11-9. Casabella punched in his fifth of the day in the opening minutes of the fourth and senior center George Avakian made it a 13-9 game with his lone goal of the day at the 4:44 mark to put the game to bed.
Following the quick one-game road trip, Cal returns home to Spieker Aquatics Complex for a pair of 11 a.m. PT games this Saturday against No. 3 Stanford and on Sunday versus No. 7 Princeton.
No. 9 California 14, No. 17 Santa Clara 10
Cal 5 3 3 3 – 14
SCU 1 4 4 1 – 10
Cal Goals: Casabella 5, Ponferrada 2, Arlett, Gascon, Szatmary, Mirkovic, Pardi, Avakian, Kelly
SCU Goals: Kapovic 3, Fales 2, Villella 2, Jenican, De Simon, Engs
Cal Saves: Max LaGrange 9
SCU Saves: Harrison Labrosse 11
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