MWP | Bigara and Black Record Hat Tricks, No. 19 Gaels Fall to No. 4 Cal

Thursday, September 24

Berkeley, CA

5:00 PM

Saint Mary's College of California

Cal

Box Score Highlights

MWP | Bigara and Black Record Hat Tricks, No. 19 Gaels Fall to No. 4 Cal

9/24/2026 7:39:00 PM | Men's Water Polo

MWP | Saint Mary's vs. Cal Highlights, 9-24-26

BERKELEY, Calif. - The 19th ranked Saint Mary's men's water polo team fell to the fourth ranked California Golden Bears 22-8 in the first-ever battle between the two East Bay regional rivals. In head coach James Lathrop's return to his alma mater, the Gaels put up a valiant effort, with hat tricks from junior Noah Bigara and senior Mason Black, but fell to the Golden Bears in their first visit to the Spieker Aquatics Center.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Gaels fell behind early, as the Golden Bears went on a 5-0 run despite three early saves from Gael goalkeeper Federico Castrucci. With 1:38 in the first quarter, Mason Black got the Gaels on the board off of a Leo Hachem shot that fell in his lap off the post, the seventh time Black has scored in a game this season. An acrobatic goal from Noah Bigara capped off the first quarter for the Gaels.

Leo Hachem was next on the goal sheet for Saint Mary's, picking up his team leading 26th goal of the season. Hachem's goal brought the first half to a close with the Gaels trailing by ten, as Cal's offense remained strong despite a solid showing from Castrucci and the Gaels. Noah Bigara got the Gaels going in the second half with another Sportscenter-worthy goal, while Castrucci picked up three more saves in the quarter to bring his total on the game to eight. Two more goals from Black and one more from Bigara brought them to three each in the match, but the Gaels would fall to Cal despite a strong fourth-quarter showing from the pair.

GAME NOTES

Mason Black scored three goals in the match, his third 3+ goal showing of the season. He now has 17 goals, the second most on the squad behind Leo Hachem.
Noah Bigara scored three goals in the match, becoming the first Gael to score a hat trick in back-to-back games this season. Bigara has now scored nine goals in his last four matches.
Leo Hachem scored his team leading 26th goal of the season and added an assist. He now ranks eighth in the conference in goals and seventh in points (34).
Federico Castrucci picked up eight saves in the match, bringing his season total to 58 saves, now ranking fifth in the conference in saves.
Four different Gaels scored in the match, bringing the total tally to 17 Gaels having recorded a goal in their inaugural season.
Bigara also drew three exclusions and now has 44 on the season, the most amongst Gaels.

LOOKING AHEAD

Saint Mary's men's water polo returns to action this Saturday, September 26th at 1:00 p.m. to take on the Diablo Valley College Vikings for an exhibition match in Moraga. Tickets can be purchased HERE, as the match is unavailable to stream. Be sure to follow your Gaels on Facebook, Instagram, and X to get all the latest Saint Mary's athletics updates and information.

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