STANFORD, Calif. - Anyone looking to understand just how big a deal it was for the Cal men's water polo team to defeat rival Stanford 13-8 in the Big Splash needed only to hear to the slight crack in senior Colin Mulcahy's voice as he tried to put words to what the Bears accomplished.

"This is what college water polo is all about," Mulcahy said. "I grew up playing at the Stanford Water Polo club. To come back, play with my teammates and get a hard-fought win, it wasn't easy, but to get a win like that makes all the hard work feel really, really good."

In his last regular season game as a Golden Bear, Mulcahy certainly did his part to help the No. 3-ranked Bears pick up a win over the No. 5 Cardinal at Avery Aquatic Center on Sunday. The native of Los Altos, Calif. scored a match-high five goals, including two in the fourth period, as Cal pulled away late to end the regular season 21-5 overall and 7-2 in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF).

A back and forth battle saw Cal hold a slight 9-8 edge through three periods. And, even that came with a razor-thin margin as Bears goalkeeper Lazar Andric stopped a power play shot just before the buzzer sounded to bring the third quarter to a close. Mulcahy provided an insurance goal with 4:47 left, drawing a foul to get a little space and firing a shot past Stanford goalie Drew Holland to make it 10-8.

From there, Cal only got better. Luca Cupido scored his fourth goal of the match just 36 seconds later to make it 11-8 and Mulcahy increased the lead shortly thereafter to make it 12-8.  Johnny Hooper finished the scoring with his second goal of the game and Cal ran out the clock to walk away with the victory.

In winning Sunday's match, Cal re-claimed the Steve Heaston Trophy that goes to the winner of the Big Splash each year. Named after the former Cal coach who played a part in so much of the Bears' storied water polo tradition, the trophy found a home in the waiting arms of Cal's players as they celebrated poolside.

"It's always special playing your rival," Cal head coach Kirk Everist said. "The Heaston Trophy means a lot to anybody that's been around the program for a long time and Colin Mulcahy's been around a long time through his dad and as a kid. So, it's special. I texted Marsha (Heaston), she was sick and couldn't make it out here today, but she'll be very happy that the trophy's coming home." 

Tactically speaking, it wasn't hard to figure out where the Bears managed to turn the tide. Stanford took an 8-6 lead when Blake Parrish skipped a shot in with 5:58 left in the third to but the Bears fought back, and goals from Cupido and Hooper evened the score in less than a minute. Mulcahy scored a power play goal with 3:14 left in the period and gave Cal the lead back for good.

From there, Cal didn't allow a goal in the fourth period, clamping down on defense at the exact time it needed to most. The back and forth that existed early in the match became one-way traffic in the final eight minutes, allowing the Bears to beat the Cardinal for the second time this season.

"We got out real quick and had a few chances to really make a statement early and Stanford isn't going to go down that easy and they got back into it," Everist said. "When we got down by two in the third, the guys really kind of rallied together and got a good possession out of the time out. It resulted in a goal but at that point you're just looking for a good possession. The resillency of this team all year long, win or lose, up or down, has been great. It showed today and helped us get a (win)."

Next up for the Bears is a trip to Los Angeles for the MPSF Tournament that begins on Friday. Cal will enter the tournament as the No. 3 seed and begin play Friday at 1 p.m. against No. 6 UC Santa Barbara.