LOS ANGELES, Calif. - A fast start showed just how prepared the Cal men's water polo team was for its showdown with No. 1 UCLA but the Bruins rallied in the second half and the No. 3 Bears dropped a close 8-7 decision at Spieker Aquatics Center.

Cal (16-4, 2-1 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation) couldn't have asked for a better start, scoring the first three goals of the day in quick succession. Conor Neumann struck first, skipping one past UCLA goalkeeper Garrett Danner, and goals from Johnny Hooper and Luca Cupido built the advantage for the Bears.

That lead held into halftime as Cal led 5-3 at intermission thanks to second period goals by Hooper and Cupido. While the offense worked to find space to operate, goalkeeper Lazar Andric was busy keeping the Bruins at bay on the other end. The junior from Montenegro stopped 11 shots in the first half alone, and his skill with the outlet pass helped start several offensive sequences for the Bears.

UCLA (20-0, 4-0) made its move in the third period. After a goal by Odysseas Masmanidis pushed Cal's lead to 6-3, the Bruins scored four of the next five to tie the match. Patrick Fellner's long range strike with 1:21 left in the period knotted the score and continued to build momentum for host UCLA.

Defense took over in the fourth period as both teams earned power play opportunities but saw them go by the wayside thanks to good defending on both ends of the pool. UCLA got its chance with just over five minutes to play, drawing an exclusion and calling time out to set up a play. Max Irving converted, firing a shot from deep and finding the top right corner to give the Bruins an 8-7 lead with 5:02 remaining.

From there, Danner made the difference for UCLA. Cal managed to get the ball inside on multiple occasions but the junior goalie was there each time, preserving UCLA's lead to the final seconds of the match. Cal's final chance came with 28 seconds left but Danner stopped Cal's final shot on the short side and time ran out with the top-ranked Bruins on top.

Hooper, a Los Angeles native himself, led Cal with three goals. Cupido scored twice and Masmanidis and Neumann rounded out the scoring. Andric stopped 12 shots, 10 coming in the first half. Irving, Ryder Roberts and Matt Farmer each scored twice for UCLA. Cal returns to action on Sunday at noon when it takes on Long Beach State at Lindgren Aquatics Center in Long Beach.