An NCAA tournament berth is almost a guarantee for the top three seeded teams at the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Women's Water Polo Championships this weekend in Westwood, CA. However, for No. 4 seed Arizona State and No. 5 seed Cal, notching a win in their first-round clash on Friday at 2:30 PM PT is a MUST​ if either team wants to secure an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament in May.

Let's take a look at the storylines and the players to watch heading into this key matchup at UCLA's Spieker Aquatics Center.

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The Matchup:

Arizona State and Cal have a history of close meetings. Nine of the teams' past 11 games have been decided by just one goal. 

This season, the two teams split, with ASU losing the first game 10-4 and winning the second matchup 7-6. It is important to note that these two teams are defensive juggernauts, so Saturday's battle likely won't feature a high score.

Players To Watch:

CAL
Madeline Trabucco: An all-star goalie who averages just over five goals per game, ranking her among the best in the MPSF
Dora Antal: A driver who ranks fourth all-time in scoring for Cal (189 goals)
Anna Illes: Has posted 121 goals in her career -- among Cal's all-time best.

ARIZONA STATE
Mia Rycraw: Key to ASU success this year as a total juggernaut in goal
Lena Mihailovic: The top goal scorer for ASU this season with 43 goals already
Maud Koopman: An offensive threat, just off Mihailovic's pace with 39 goals this season

The MPSF tournament will undoubtedly witness a defensive masterpiece between Cal and ASU on Saturday, but the key difference-maker in the game could be the scoring firepower on either side of the ball. Predictions, anyone? Let us know.

Schedule:

(All times listed are Pacific Time)

Friday, April 28

Game 1: 11 AM (No. 2 Stanford vs. No. 7 CSU Bakersfield)
Game 2: 12:45 PM (No. 3 USC vs. No. 6 San Jose State)
Game 3: 2:30 PM (No. 4 Arizona State vs. No. 5 Cal)

*No. 1 UCLA receives a bye

Saturday, April 29

Game 4: 11 AM (Losers Games 1 & 2)
Game 5: 12:45 PM (Winners Games 1 & 2)
Game 6: 2:30 PM (No. 1 UCLA vs. Winner Game 3)

*Loser of Game 3 receives a bye

Sunday, April 30

Game 7: 11 AM -- Fifth-place game (Loser Game 3 vs. Winner Game 5-6)
Game 8: 12:45 PM -- Third-place game (Losers Games 5 & 6)
Game 9: 2:30 PM -- Championship game (Winners Games 5 & 6)

How To Watch

ON TV: Now available on Roku and Apple TV 4 -- download the FloSports app today!
STREAMING: Available for FloPRO Subscribers only on FloSwimming. SIGN UP HERE

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