STANFORD, Calif. – A big third period by host Stanford put the No. 1-ranked Cal men's water polo team in a hole it couldn't quite climb out of as the Bears rallied to within one in the final eight minutes but dropped an 11-10 decision to the No. 3 Cardinal in the Big Splash at Avery Aquatic Center.

Playing a mid-week matinee on the Farm, offense came easy for both sides early on at Stanford. First period goals by Nicholas Carniglia, Johnny Hooper, Conor Neumann and Vassilis Tzavaras kept Cal (18-2, 2-1 MPSF) tied with the Cardinal at 4-4 after one period.

Cal took a 6-5 lead to halftime thanks to goals by Hooper and Tzavaras but Stanford (17-3, 2-1) made its move in the third period, outscoring the Bears 6-2 in the quarter despite goals by Hooper and Spencer Farrar to take an 11-8 lead to the fourth.

The Bears weren't done yet. A power play goal by Neumann cut the deficit to two with 4:40 left and just over a minute later Hooper got Cal even closer, grabbing a steal near mid-tank and sprinting away for a transition goal that made it 11-10 with 3:26 left.

Cal got one more power play chance with just over a minute remaining but Stanford's defense made the lead stand up. Johnny Hooper scored four goals while Tzavaras and Neumann each scored two to lead the Bears offensively. Reigning MPSF Player of the Week Kevin Le Vine made 11 saves in the cage.

With Thursday's result in the books, Cal and Stanford now await the result of Saturday's match between USC and UCLA to determine when they'll play next. The MPSF Tournament begins next Friday right back at Stanford with times and seeds contingent on the winner of the Bruins-Trojans contest.