NCAA WATER POLO CHAMPIONSHIPS : Cal to Meet Stanford in Title Match

Sean Nolan ignored the butterflies Saturday and became an important player in the rich tradition of California’s water polo program, leading the Bears to their seventh consecutive appearance in a national championship final.

Nolan, a sophomore goalie, made 12 saves to lead Cal (30-0) to an 8-5 victory over UC Irvine (20-9) in the semifinals of the NCAA Division I men’s water polo tournament at the Belmont Plaza Pool in Long Beach.

Cal, which has won six of the last nine NCAA championships, is seeking its third in a row.

The No. 1-ranked Bears will meet No. 2 Stanford, an 11-7 winner over USC on Friday, in tonight’s final at 8 p.m. It will be the sixth time Cal and Stanford have played for the title.

In the semifinal, Cal’s aggressive defense shut out Steve Gill, UC Irvine’s two-meter man, and Nolan “played easily the best game of his life,” Cal Coach Steve Heaston said.

“I (was) so nervous coming into it, but I guess I was able to change it into adrenaline,” Nolan said.

Mike Rall, Irvine goalkeeper, made 13 saves, but Cal’s Chris Oeding and Dirk Zeien scored three goals apiece to lead the Bears.

Stanford’s Chris Wallin and Chip Blankenhorn scored three goals each for the Cardinal (22-5) against USC (20-9). Six Stanford players scored, filling the void for Wolf Wigo, the Cardinal’s leading scorer who did not play because of a back injury.

Wigo said he will play sparingly tonight.

USC, making its first NCAA appearance in four years, was led by senior captain Dan Leyson, who scored three goals.

Cal has defeated Stanford 12 consecutive times, three this season. Stanford, which did not play in the NCAA tournament last season, has won six national championships.

But if Cal wins tonight, it will be the first team to finish undefeated since 1986, when Stanford was 36-0.

In the consolation semifinals Saturday, Pepperdine defeated Navy, 19-8, and UC San Diego defeated Princeton, 14-9.

Princeton (20-6) will play Navy (18-10) for seventh place today at 3; Pepperdine (19-10) will play UC San Diego (23-8) for fifth at 4:30, and UC Irvine will play USC for third at 6:30.