PRINCETON, N.J. – A strong defensive effort opened the door for the Cal men's water polo team to take control and pull away for another quality victory as the Bears downed St. Francis 17-0 to win their third straight match at the Princeton Invitational.

In much the same fashion as it did in two wins on Friday, Cal (3-0) jumped ahead right away to establish command. First period goals from Vassilis Tzavaras, Johnny Hooper, Safak Simsek, Nicholas Carniglia and Jordan Hoover left the Bears up 5-0 after just eight minutes.

Five more goals in the second period put Cal up 10-0 at halftime, and the Bears duplicated the feat in the third, adding another five to take a 15-0 lead. Hoover and Matt Sherburne added a goal apiece in the fourth to finish the scoring.

While the Bears certainly didn't lack for scoring, they also had an impressive day at the other end of the pool. Lazar Andric worked the first three-plus periods and stopped 10 shots before freshman Bernardo Carelli entered to play the final three minutes without needing to stop a shot. Cal recorded nine steals, led by three from Sherburne, and sophomore Timothy Simenc blocked a pair of shots.

Hooper and Hoover led the way offensively with three goals each. Farrel South and Tzavaras added two goals apiece while Simsek, Carniglia, Mikey Williams, Nick Bisconti, J.D. Ratchford, Conor Neumann and Sherburne each scored one.

Cal wraps up its stay in New Jersey on Sunday when it takes on Johns Hopkins at 7:30 a.m. (PT). The Bears then return to California and turn their attention to next weekend's Aggie Roundup hosted by UC Davis.