LOS ANGELES – A big effort on the road helped the No. 3-ranked Cal men's water polo team avenge its lone loss of the season to date as junior Odysseas Masmanidis recorded a hat trick and the Bears led nearly the entire way to beat No. 2 UCLA 12-9 at Spieker Aquatics Center.

Having dropped an overtime contest to the Bruins in late September, Cal (16-1, 1-0 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation) got a chance to turn the tables Saturday in Westwood as both teams opened MPSF play. Freshman Nikos Delagrammatikas got the Bears started with the game's opening goal and Johnny Hooper backed that up with a goal of his own to give Cal a 2-0 lead right out of the gate.

A power play goal by Safak Simsek with one second left in the first quarter left the Bears and Bruins tied at 3 after a period but Cal took a one-goal lead to halftime as two goals from Masmanidis and one each from Luca Cupido and Conor Neumann made it 7-6 at the midway point.

Cal really made its move over the next eight minutes and, as has often been the case throughout the 2017 season, defense led the way. The Bears held the Bruins to just one goal in the third period and, with goals coming from Neumann, Cupido and Spencer Farrar on the other end, that defensive intensity allowed Cal to head to the fourth with a 10-7 advantage.

The Bears only needed two more goals to clinch the victory and both came by way of their Greek connection as Delagrammatikas skipped one in on a near side shot and Masmanidis added goal No. 3 on the day to finish the scoring.

Yet another standout performance in the cage from senior Kevin Le Vine went a long way in Cal's big victory as the Bears' keeper made 11 saves in the win. Cal also recorded seven field blocks, led by two from Cupido, and added six steals in a great defensive performance.

Cal returns to action on Sunday at noon when they make the trip south from Westwood to take on Long Beach State. Live updates will be available through the Cal Water Polo Twitter account (@CalWaterPolo). The Bears return to Spieker Aquatics Complex on Nov. 4 to host USC in the final home match of the 2017 season. Start time has yet to be announced.