LOS ANGELES -- The No. 4 California women's water polo team went toe-to-toe with top-ranked USC in MPSF action today before the host Trojans got out ahead before halftime and held off the Golden Bears for a 14-10 decision. The road loss puts Cal at 13-4 overall and 3-2 in MPSF play.

Cal was right in stride with USC for the first 12 minutes, consistently finding a response to each Trojan goal in an offensive onslaught for that opening stretch. After a Despoina Drakotou takeaway, Talia Fonseca found Maria Bogachenko on the counterattack, and she hit Rosalie Hassett for a strike that knotted the game up for the sixth time. With 12 goals scored in 12 minutes, the score was even at 6-6. That's when the Trojans shifted gears, knocking in three straight scores to go up 9-6 before Hassett hit her second of the day to make it a 9-7 margin just before halftime. 

USC crept ahead 11-7 with a couple early goals in the third before Julia Bonaguidi tallied her second goal for Cal to make it 11-8 with 3:11 on the clock. USC hit from distance next, and then Hassett set up Eszter Varró  for a blast at the post for the Bears to get Cal back within three. USC finished off a 6-on-5 soon after, though, and it was a 13-9 scoreline entering the fourth frame. There, Cal got another Varró blast off a feed from Hassett in the final minute, but the Bears could move no closer in the remaining time and took a 14-10 loss to the No. 1 Trojans.

#1 USC 14, #4 Cal 10
March 28, 2026 | Uytengsu Aquatics Center (Los Angeles, Calif.)
CAL   5 - 2 - 2 - 1 = 10
USC  5 - 4 - 4 - 1 = 14

SCORING:
CAL -- Eszter Varró 4, Rosalie Hassett 2, Julia Bonaguidi 2, Abbi Magee, Maria Bogachenko.
USC -- Emily Ausmus 3, Rachel Gazzaniga 3, Alma Yaacobi 2, Ava Knepper 2, Meghan McAninch 2, Sinia Plotz, Morgan Netherton.

SAVES: Talia Fonseca (CAL) 10, Anna Reed (USC) 9.

NEXT: Cal turns to cap off regular-season play next week with a visit to Stanford for a 1 p.m. meeting on Saturday (April 4) at Avery Aquatic Center.

NOTABLE:
- With two goals today, Julia Bonaguidi has scored multiple goals in Cal's last six games.
- With one goal today, Abbi Magee has now scored in 15 of Cal's 16 games this season -- a team high.
- With 10 saves, Talia Fonseca recorded her second double-digit saves outing of the season and the eighth of her career.
- Eszter Varró scored a season-high four goals.

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