Courtesy: Cal Athletics
California freshman goalkeeper Aran Pina earned his first career honor after being named MPSF Men’s Water Polo Newcomer of the Week, announced today by the conference.
Pina had a stellar weekend protecting the net for the Golden Bears to help secure three top 15 wins over No. 6 San Jose State, No. 9 Pacific and No. 11 UC Davis, combining for a total of 33 saves and two steals.
In the matchup against the Aggies, Pina recorded a career-high 12 saves while securing a .500 save percentage. In the tightly contested contest, he secured three huge saves down the stretch in the fourth period to help Cal edge a 16-13 win.
Pina added 10 saves against the Tigers and 11 saves against the Spartans in a competitive matchup. In the game against San Jose State, he tallied nine of his 11 saves in the first half, helping the Bears to an even score (8-8) at the halfway mark. Pina came up huge down the stretch against the Spartans after making two saves in the fourth, including a big-time stop on a penalty shot in the final minute of action.
