Santa Barbara product Maddie Trabucco and the Cal Bears are ranked No. 4 in the country. (Peter Trabucco Photo)
Cal freshman goalie Madeline Trabucco received the MPSF/KAP 7 Newcomer of the Week award earlier this month.
This is the first newcomer award for Trabucco, and the first for an MPSF goalie in the 2014 season. Trabucco made 13 saves, including a handful of high-quality ones, to help the fourth-ranked Cal Bears preserve the win over the San Jose State Spartans.
The upside for Trabucco is that the Cal Bears are loaded with some of the best shooters in the world. Fellow Freshmen Roser Tarrago of Spain and Dora Antal of Hungary helped lead their respective countries to Gold and Bronze at the 2013 FINA Women’s World Championship held in Barcelona Spain over the summer. Both were 2012 Olympians and are among the most prolific scorers in the world. Facing players of this caliber every day in workout will take a goalie’s game to new levels.
Madeline’s Newcomer of the Week award is also the first for a Santa Barbara Water Polo Freshman this season. With 26 women competing at Division I schools Madeline sees plenty of former team mates in the pool including her twin sister Sophie Trabucco who competes for UCSB and Cal team mate junior Tiera Schroeder.
Before Cal, Trabucco starred in goal for the Santa Barbara Water Polo Club, leading the 18U girls in three consecutive National Club Championship and National Junior Olympic Championship games. Santa Barbara is the two-time defending national champion in 18U girl. Madeline was named MVP at the 2013 National Junior Olympics and is starting in goal for Cal as a Freshman. Trabucco also led Santa Barbara High School to their first ever Division I CIF Semi-Final game in 2013.
Cal is currently ranked fourth in the nation after conference losses to No. 1 USC and No. 2 Cal. The Bears next game is against No. 5 Arizona State on April 12th.
