Cal ended its season in its NCAA championship opener with a loss to Hawaii last Friday.
Facing off in Indiana University’s natatorium, the No. 4 Bears and No. 5 Rainbow Wahine prepared for a battle to advance to the second round. In its previous matchup this season Feb. 22, Cal narrowly lost 11-12. This weekend’s game unraveled similarly, with the Bears falling 7-8.
Cal’s defeat meant a step back from last year’s tournament showing when it lost to UCLA 4-7 in the final. The Bears’ run to second place came at the Wahines’ expense. Then-No. 3 Cal upset then-No. 2 Hawaii, that time swimming away with a 9-6 upset.
Seemingly keen for payback, the Rainbow Wahine burst off the line to put up a 3-0 lead in the first quarter. Their first two goals came from even strength possessions. Then, with 48 seconds remaining, Cal suffered an exclusion, allowing Hawaii to score on a six-on-five with 38 seconds left.
Less than 30 seconds into the second period, the refs ejected another Bear, and the Rainbow Wahine quickly capitalized. Now down by four, Cal had to dial in.
Freshman Miriam Bogachenko took advantage of a powerplay to send the ball flying into the back of the net with 7:02 remaining in the quarter. Fueled by this newfound momentum, the Bears put up two more uncontested goals — first off an even strength possession before beating the opposing goalie on another six-on-five.
For Bogachenko, the energy had been good the whole game, but it took a quarter for shots to start landing.
“We (were) in a lot of good positions (on) offense, but in the final shots the ball just didn’t go into the net. But this is the type of game (where) you just need to keep going because at some point it will enter,” Bogachenko said.
With its lead reduced to 4-3, Hawaii scored again to go into halftime with a 2-point lead.
Cal used the break to regroup and opened the second half with wind in its sails. On the first possession, freshman Eszter Varró scored her second goal of the game. Two minutes later, the rookie capitalized on a power play to complete a hat trick.
After trailing for more than two quarters, the Bears finally stood level with the Rainbow Wahine, but they were still not satisfied. Cal drew another exclusion, this time opening up senior Rozanne Voorvelt for a goal to give the Bears their first — and only — lead of the game.
In the fourth quarter, Hawaii pulled away. The Rainbow Wahine put up three uncontested goals to distance themselves from the competition. With nine seconds remaining, Bogachenko scored her second goal, but it wasn’t enough to overcome Hawaii’s lead.
Hawaii held onto its slim 8-7 edge to advance to the second round of the NCAA Championship. Cal, meanwhile, finished its season with a 19-6 record overall.
“It’s actually really sad how the season ended for us because I really believed in this team (and) that we (could) make good results in the NCAAs,” Bogachenko said. “I’m so excited still to be part of this team and to play for them, but it’s sad that it ended like this because we will never be the same squad.”
Although the Bears went home early, the strong performance by the freshman class gives Cal a strong foundation for next season. Of the Bears’ seven goals, six came from freshman: Varró had a hat trick, Bogachenko scored twice and Rosalie Hassett contributed a point.
“It has just given us even more motivation for the (coming) years because we know that we will make it to be the champions in the near future. It’s something that we are going to work the hardest that we can (for), and we will set up the right things to achieve this goal because it’s something that we definitely can do with the players that are going to be on the team,” Bogachenko said. “It will be a bright future for Cal water polo.”
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