One of the oldest and most prominent handball tournaments in the United States came to a close earlier this month. The 2022 California Cup, a traditionally always very competitive event, delivered epic finales in both the women’s and men’s divisions.
This year’s women’s division was in fact the first women’s handball tournament in the US (setting aside the Northeast League), and we were all very excited for old rivals to meet up again. In the tournament’s opening game, Chicago Inter defeated San Francisco Calheat (23:19) claiming a first, yet an essential victory in the run for the title. Later the same day, 2019 winner and US reigning champion, New York City, comfortably won their opener against Los Angeles. On Saturday, our home team played a fantastic game and was close to an upset against New York City, losing by one goal despite having the last possession to tie the game (19:20). In the other game, Chicago Inter won their second game, in a tighter match, against Los Angeles (21:16). The last confrontations delivered no surprise as New York City and San Francisco Calheat easily dominated their opponents by more than 10-goal margins. By the end of round robin, New York City and Chicago Inter were set to play for gold, while California State rivals, San Francisco Calheat and Los Angeles, would play for bronze. Those placement matches were actually pretty even, starting from the 3rd place game our ladies won (23:18). The team, led by Kristina Alavanja, showed a lot of potential and will be a team to watch besides the northeastern and midwestern ‘usual’ contenders (New York City, Boston, Chicago). In the final, and after an epic overtime, New York City conquered the title for a second time (27:26). Despite taking a comfortable lead at half time, and Oihane Manrique’s 10-goals, Chicago Inter progressively lost confidence to let New York City equalize at the buzzer. In the overtime, minor details decided the game but it was the New Yorkers who managed to turn things around. The women’s competition will return at the Laura Walker Memorial Cup in West Point (March 19-20) and we look forward to more epic matches.
In the men’s division, eight teams competed for the trophy and, among them, first time participant and multiple time US champion, New York Athletic Club. This was in fact the first time NYC, NYAC and SF Calheat were at the same tournament since the 2019 M. Lipov Memorial Cup. In group A, NYAC easily defeated all of their opponents, leaving the second place in the group to Los Angeles, followed by San Francisco Calheat 2 and Army West Point Black. Our second team welcomed four new members, AJ Bulow, Ian Hodgson, Joseph Kuo and Sean Hor, all products of our youth team. Altogether, they scored 15 of the team’s 76 goals. A brilliant performance! In group B, title holder, San Francisco Calheat, defeated their opponents in a convincing fashion. New York City finished second in the group right in front of 2018 tournament winner, Chicago Inter, and US Air Force Academy.
On Sunday, it was time for placement games. Army West Point Black beat US Air Force Academy for 7th place in a usual intense game (21:19), while Chicago Inter ended up their journey at the 5th place beating our men’s second team (31:22). The battle for bronze saw New York City defeating Los Angeles (29:21). It is the first time New York City men claims a medal at California Cup. The game for gold between the two teams of the moment, San Francisco Calheat & NYAC, was a near replica of the women’s final and ended up in overtime. Our men’s first team had the game under control at half time (8:3) and for nearly 35 minutes (11:5), however, NYAC came back through one of its most prominent players, Greg Inahara (7 goals). The handball magician from Portland even gave his team the lead two minutes before the end, yet Lucas Kroeger (MVG) saved some crucial shots to allow us to witness one more overtime. In this extra time, our boys looked mentally stronger and more effective with their open shots (21:17). The team claimed a third title in a row and set the stage for the upcoming US National Championship (May 13-15). Needless to say, New York City, NYAC and SF Calheat will be fighting nail and tooth to (re)claim the national trophy. Until then, we will be waiting…
All results can be found on the USA Team Handball page. Thank you to all participants (players, officials and volunteers) for making this event successful and we look forward to see you next year.