Thursday, September 24
Berkeley, CA
5:00 PM
Saint Mary's College of California
at
Cal
Photo by: Saint Mary's Athletics / Tod Fierner
MWP | Gaels Set for Bay Area Matchups Against No. 4 Cal and Diablo Valley
9/22/2026 9:55:00 AM | Men's Water Polo
MORAGA, Calif. — The Saint Mary's men's water polo team continues its inaugural season with a countable contest against No. 4 Cal and an exhibition match against Diablo Valley College. The Gaels remain ranked No. 20 and have brought their overall record to 5-6 as they head into week four of the season.
GAME COVERAGE AND INFORMATION
No. 20 Saint Mary's Gaels vs. No. 4 Cal Golden Bears
Thursday, September 24 at 5:00 p.m.
Spieker Aquatics Complex – Berkeley, Calif.
WATCH | LIVE STATS
No. 20 Saint Mary's Gaels vs. Diablo Valley Vikings
Saturday, September 26 at 1:00 p.m.
Soda Aquatic Center – Moraga, Calif.
LIVE STATS | TICKETS
GAELS OUTLOOK
First East Coast Trip…
Saint Mary's wrapped up its first-ever trip to the East Coast with a 2-2 showing at the Princeton Invitational. The Gaels opened the weekend against No. 12 Princeton, falling 15-8, before picking up back-to-back wins over Wagner and Mount St. Mary's on Saturday. Saint Mary's defeated Wagner 19-11 and went on to beat Mount St. Mary's 16-6, marking its second-largest margin of victory this season. The Gaels closed out the weekend with a 14-9 loss to Bucknell and now sit at 5-6 through the first 11 games in program history.
Hachem Leads the Attack…
Leo Hachem continues to lead the Gaels offensively with a team-high 25 goals through 11 games. The freshman scored nine goals during the Princeton Invitational, highlighted by four against Mount St. Mary's and a hat trick against No. 12 Princeton. Hachem also added two goals in the weekend finale against Bucknell.
ABOUT THE GOLDEN BEARS
No. 4 Cal enters Thursday's matchup with an 8-2 record after competing at the MPSF Invitational over the weekend. The Golden Bears opened the season with eight straight wins, all over nationally ranked opponents. Their only two losses of the season came in narrow, one goal defeats to No. 1 UCLA and No. 2 USC.
Sophomore Beso Akhvlediani leads the attack for Cal with a team-high 26 goals and 16 assists. The Golden Bears are led by longtime head coach Kirk Everist and former U.S. Olympian, who has guided Cal to six NCAA Championships.
Thursday will mark the first meeting between Saint Mary's and Cal in the Gaels' inaugural season.
ABOUT THE VIKINGS
Diablo Valley has opened its season with a 6-2 record. The Vikings compete at the junior college level as a member of the 3C2A. Saturday's matchup will feature a familiar connection, as Donovan Swann joined the Gaels this season after previously competing at Diablo Valley. The game will also mark the Gaels' second home game of their inaugural season.
Saint Mary's will kick off the action on Thursday, September 24 against Cal with game time scheduled for 5:00 p.m. before hosting Diablo Valley on Saturday, September 26 at 1:00 p.m. The game against Cal will be streamed on Overnght. Tickets for the contest against Diablo Valley can be purchased at smcgaels.com/tickets.
Be sure to follow your Gaels on Facebook, Instagram, and X to get all the latest Saint Mary's athletics updates and information.
#GaelsRise
GAME COVERAGE AND INFORMATION
No. 20 Saint Mary's Gaels vs. No. 4 Cal Golden Bears
Thursday, September 24 at 5:00 p.m.
Spieker Aquatics Complex – Berkeley, Calif.
WATCH | LIVE STATS
No. 20 Saint Mary's Gaels vs. Diablo Valley Vikings
Saturday, September 26 at 1:00 p.m.
Soda Aquatic Center – Moraga, Calif.
LIVE STATS | TICKETS
GAELS OUTLOOK
First East Coast Trip…
Saint Mary's wrapped up its first-ever trip to the East Coast with a 2-2 showing at the Princeton Invitational. The Gaels opened the weekend against No. 12 Princeton, falling 15-8, before picking up back-to-back wins over Wagner and Mount St. Mary's on Saturday. Saint Mary's defeated Wagner 19-11 and went on to beat Mount St. Mary's 16-6, marking its second-largest margin of victory this season. The Gaels closed out the weekend with a 14-9 loss to Bucknell and now sit at 5-6 through the first 11 games in program history.
Hachem Leads the Attack…
Leo Hachem continues to lead the Gaels offensively with a team-high 25 goals through 11 games. The freshman scored nine goals during the Princeton Invitational, highlighted by four against Mount St. Mary's and a hat trick against No. 12 Princeton. Hachem also added two goals in the weekend finale against Bucknell.
ABOUT THE GOLDEN BEARS
No. 4 Cal enters Thursday's matchup with an 8-2 record after competing at the MPSF Invitational over the weekend. The Golden Bears opened the season with eight straight wins, all over nationally ranked opponents. Their only two losses of the season came in narrow, one goal defeats to No. 1 UCLA and No. 2 USC.
Sophomore Beso Akhvlediani leads the attack for Cal with a team-high 26 goals and 16 assists. The Golden Bears are led by longtime head coach Kirk Everist and former U.S. Olympian, who has guided Cal to six NCAA Championships.
Thursday will mark the first meeting between Saint Mary's and Cal in the Gaels' inaugural season.
ABOUT THE VIKINGS
Diablo Valley has opened its season with a 6-2 record. The Vikings compete at the junior college level as a member of the 3C2A. Saturday's matchup will feature a familiar connection, as Donovan Swann joined the Gaels this season after previously competing at Diablo Valley. The game will also mark the Gaels' second home game of their inaugural season.
Saint Mary's will kick off the action on Thursday, September 24 against Cal with game time scheduled for 5:00 p.m. before hosting Diablo Valley on Saturday, September 26 at 1:00 p.m. The game against Cal will be streamed on Overnght. Tickets for the contest against Diablo Valley can be purchased at smcgaels.com/tickets.
Be sure to follow your Gaels on Facebook, Instagram, and X to get all the latest Saint Mary's athletics updates and information.
#GaelsRise
Players Mentioned
ATT
/ Men's Water PoloATT
/ Men's Water PoloFriday, September 11
Thursday, September 10
Sunday, September 06
Sunday, August 30
