Wednesday, October 21
6:00 pm PT
California
11-4
19
vs
4
Princeton
17-3
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Princeton | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| California | 4 | 5 | 7 | 3 | 19 |
Photo by: Emi Segovia/Cal Athletics
10/21/2026 8:56 PM | Men's Water Polo
Bears’ Defense Stymies Tigers
BERKELEY – In a chippy game that featured 32 exclusions the No. 4 California men's water polo team asserted its dominance defeating No. 6 Princeton 19-4 Wednesday night at Spieker Aquatics Complex.
Just four days after holding then No. 1 Stanford to five natural goals, the Golden Bears' defense showed its claws again allowing a season-low four goals to a Tigers team that had won eight of its last nine games and had not been held to single digits once this season. Three of Princeton's four scores came on power plays while Cal killed the 15 other six-on-five opportunities.
Cal (11-4) held Princeton (17-4) scoreless for the first 15 minutes of the contest and opened on a 9-0 run. That dominance continued in the second half with the Bears outscoring the Tigers 7-2 in the third quarter and 3-1 in the final period.
The Bears spread the love on the offensive end with 12 different players scoring and six different players notching multi-goal efforts. Sophomore Beso Akhvlediani went 2-for-2 with two assists to lead all players with four points freshman Ilias Angelopoulos added a pair of goals with three drawn exclusions. Cal assisted on 12 of its 19 goals scored.
The goalkeeping duties were split with reigning MPSF Player of the Week Aran Pina collecting eight saves and two steals while allowing just three goals in as many quarters. Riley Clansen finished the fourth with four steals of his own.
A number of Cal reserves logged meaningful minutes including Gigo Sarimsakci who drew three exclusions including a penalty and João Leme who scored a goal on his birthday.
Cal will now look for its third straight win hosting Pepperdine on Friday at Spieker Aquatics Complex.
STAY POSTED
For further coverage of Cal men's water polo, follow the Bears on X (@CalWaterPolo) and Instagram (@calmwaterpolo).
Just four days after holding then No. 1 Stanford to five natural goals, the Golden Bears' defense showed its claws again allowing a season-low four goals to a Tigers team that had won eight of its last nine games and had not been held to single digits once this season. Three of Princeton's four scores came on power plays while Cal killed the 15 other six-on-five opportunities.
Cal (11-4) held Princeton (17-4) scoreless for the first 15 minutes of the contest and opened on a 9-0 run. That dominance continued in the second half with the Bears outscoring the Tigers 7-2 in the third quarter and 3-1 in the final period.
The Bears spread the love on the offensive end with 12 different players scoring and six different players notching multi-goal efforts. Sophomore Beso Akhvlediani went 2-for-2 with two assists to lead all players with four points freshman Ilias Angelopoulos added a pair of goals with three drawn exclusions. Cal assisted on 12 of its 19 goals scored.
The goalkeeping duties were split with reigning MPSF Player of the Week Aran Pina collecting eight saves and two steals while allowing just three goals in as many quarters. Riley Clansen finished the fourth with four steals of his own.
A number of Cal reserves logged meaningful minutes including Gigo Sarimsakci who drew three exclusions including a penalty and João Leme who scored a goal on his birthday.
Cal will now look for its third straight win hosting Pepperdine on Friday at Spieker Aquatics Complex.
STAY POSTED
For further coverage of Cal men's water polo, follow the Bears on X (@CalWaterPolo) and Instagram (@calmwaterpolo).
Players Mentioned
ATT
/ Men's Water Polo
C
/ Men's Water Polo
GK
/ Men's Water Polo
GK
/ Men's Water Polo
C
/ Men's Water PoloTeam Stats
PRI
CAL
Shots
20
33
Goals
4
19
Assists
3
12
Points
7
31
Exclusions
10
18
Steals
5
10
Sprints
1
2
1
Luke Bachler
7:40
Maddox Arlett
5:05
Alex Oprea
3:11
Tomas Perrone
1:11
2
Beso Akhvlediani
6:53
Beso Akhvlediani
5:58
Kai Inoue
5:19
Ilias Angelopoulos
4:14
Ilias Angelopoulos
1:40
Otto Stothart
1:06
3
Dom Brown
7:44
Luke Bachler
6:05
Otto Stothart
5:41
Dom Brown
5:22
Taylor Bell
4:01
Alex Oprea
3:46
Patrik Kolak
2:34
Kai Inoue
1:46
Joao Leme
0:19
4
Brennan Fuchslin
4:59
Enrique Nuno
3:35
Chase Wilson
1:10
Amir Shafrir
0:25
Game Leaders
Shots
4
Goals
2
Assists
0
Points
2
Shots
3
Goals
1
Assists
1
Points
2
Shots
3
Goals
0
Assists
0
Points
0
Shots
2
Goals
2
Assists
2
Points
4
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