UC IRVINE NOTEBOOK / MIKE REILLEY : In Goal, Rall Keys Defense

Athletes call them zones, a state of mind and unlimited level of performance where every jump shot falls and every pass play seems to lead to a touchdown.

But not all zones belong to offensive stars. Even defensive players have them, as UC Irvine water polo goalie Mike Rall insists.

Rall had 11 saves as the sixth-ranked Anteaters upset top-ranked California, 9-8, in overtime Saturday at the Southern California tournament at USC.

In doing so, the Anteaters ended Cal’s 47-game winning streak. The Bears, three-time defending NCAA champions, had not lost a match since 1991, when UCLA beat them.

The Anteaters trailed, 5-2, early in the third quarter before Rall clamped down in goal and his teammates scored four times to take a 6-5 lead. Cal tied the score, 7-7, in the fourth quarter, but Irvine outscored the Bears, 2-1, in overtime.

“I would say I was in a zone,” said Rall, a senior and two-year starter. “All the little things came together--seeing the field clearly, reacting to the ball, playing ahead of everything.

“The passing game was on, and we were controlling the tempo. The defense played well, and with the goalie position, everything depends on the defense.”

The Anteaters (4-3) finished sixth in the tournament after beating Pepperdine, 9-2, and losing to UC Santa Barbara, 10-6, on Sunday.

Rall said the victory over Cal gave Irvine some much-needed momentum heading into its home opener against Cal State Long Beach Wednesday night at Heritage Park.

“We needed this win badly,” he said. “It bring us up after a slow start. We lost to Pacific, then to UCLA in the first round of the tournament.”

Irvine beat Redlands in a second-round game Friday night for its first victory of the season. Then the Anteaters pounded Long Beach, 13-5, on Saturday morning, setting up the Cal game.

“The Long Beach game was the key,” said Rall, who had eight saves against the 49ers. “That was the first time this season that we came together and played well.”

Irvine gambled somewhat by recruiting Rall four years ago. He was a standout at Riverside Poly High, but several colleges passed on him because he stands only 6-feet-2, about four inches shorter than most collegiate goalies. He says he makes up for the lack of height and reach with leg strength and quickness.

“Goalies come in all shapes and sizes,” he said. “Some are laid back, some aren’t. Most of them are tall and lanky, and I’m short and stocky. But what you need with a goalie is someone with reflexes who wants to stop the ball.”

After two seasons as a part-time starter, Rall earned the starting spot last season and was named second-team All-Mountain Pacific Sports Federation last season.

He started 29 games, recording 214 saves and had a 6.17 goals-against average for the Anteaters (20-10), who finished fourth in the nation.

The Anteaters started this season ranked fourth, but dropped to sixth after losing to Pacific. Will Saturday’s upset of Cal shake up the rankings? Rall doesn’t think so.

“The pot got (stirred) up quite a bit here,” he said. “This year, most of the top teams are really close to each other. USC is probably the hottest team right now, and we play them Saturday.

“I don’t think they (coaches) are going to be quick to change the standings. But nobody is untouchable this season.”

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Computer whiz: One of Angela Crabtree’s first duties as a women’s basketball assistant coach was to help revamp the program’s computer software, Coach Colleen Matsuhara said.

Crabtree taught computer science at Seagoville High in Dallas, where she also coached basketball for 12 seasons. Matsuhara met Crabtree when Matsuhara was an assistant coach at Texas. She hired Crabtree earlier this month.

“We keep our recruiting material, travel records and calendars on computer,” Matsuhara said. “Angela came in and streamlined all of our forms. She’s using different software, but it’s compatible with our system.

“She asked me when she started if she could change the forms, and I told her that she’s the expert in that area.”

Crabtree also will work with Irvine’s post players as well as sharing recruiting and scouting duties.