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Junior driver Thalia Munro and the UCLA team will travel up to Northern California for a pair of

This weekend, the top-ranked UCLA women’s water polo team will head north to continue its road trip against No. 7 Cal on Saturday and unranked Pacific on Sunday. When the Bruins (22-0, 7-0 MPSF) face off against the Golden Bears (12-7, 3-4) over the weekend, they will get an opportunity to play in the same pool that they will be competing in for the conference tournament, which UCLA coach Adam Krikorian is looking forward to having his team experience. “It would be nice to get a feel for the pool before the championship,” Krikorian said. The match-up against Cal also pits UCLA against a team that is known for having one of the best women’s water polo programs in the nation. Consistently ranked among the top five in the nation, the Bears, in Krikorian’s mind, are a better team than their current national ranking may suggest. Krikorian said he considers Cal as difficult an opponent for his team as two of the top teams in the nation. “Cal’s been one of our biggest rivals,” Krikorian said. “Playing them is similar to playing a USC or a Stanford.” Knowing that Cal has a rich tradition in collegiate women’s water polo, sophomore goalie Emily Feher is wary of the Bruins slipping to the Bears with only five games remaining in the regular season. “We want to prove that we’re not going to take anything lightly,” Feher said.

GOLDA SHARING THE WEALTH: Natalie Golda, the third all-time career goal scorer in UCLA women’s water polo history with 142 career goals, has scored just four goals in the last five games. But that hasn’t deterred her one bit. With teams focusing on one of the Bruins’ most dangerous scorers, the senior has instead improved on her all-around game, setting up opportunities for her teammates. “I think a lot of teams are marking me now,” Golda said. “But I’m better all-around. I see (my teammates) better.” With 31 goals this season, Golda is still a good distance away from reaching the 50-goal plateau that she reached during UCLA’s 2003 championship season. The Bruins have five games remaining.