The fourth-seeded California men's water polo team opens the MPSF Championship this Friday against fifth-seed Johns Hopkins at Avery Aquatics Center in Stanford. First sprint is set for 2:30 p.m. PT on Overnght.
 
The Golden Bears (14-6, 1-5) will be looking to get back in the win column after dropping their last three contests facing the top three teams in the country in order in a seven-day span. This will be the first meeting between Cal and Johns Hopkins since the Bears earned a lopsided 33-4 victory over the Blue Jays on Sept. 3, 2022.
 
The Blue Jays (20-5, 8-0) are the top team in the East Division of the MPSF with a perfect 8-0 conference record and are coming off a 16-15 sudden-death, triple-overtime victory over Salem in their regular-season finale last Sunday.
 
The winner will go on to face to victor of game three, which will either be No. 1 UCLA or the winner of game one between No. 8 Penn State Behrend and No. 9 Conn. College.
 
UP NEXT
FRIDAY, NOV. 21
No. 4 Cal vs. No. 5 Johns Hopkins | 2:30 p.m. PT | Livestream: Overnght | Live Stats: 6-8sports.com |Tournament Central
 
LEADERS OF THE PACK
Through 12 weeks, freshman goalkeeper Aran Pina ranks fifth in the MPSF in saves (156) and is tied for eighth in steals (28) and save percentage (0.46). Attacker Albert Ponferrada is currently ranked third in the conference in field blocks (13).
 
STELLAR NEWCOMERS
A Bear has been crowned the MPSF Newcomer of the Week twice this season. On Sept. 22, freshman attacker Kai Inoue collected his first career honor after being a key piece to Cal's title game run at the Overnght MPSF Invitational. In four games, Inoue racked up 10 goals, five assists and three earned exclusions while recording a career-high five-goal game against UC Santa Barbara.
 
On Sept. 15, goalkeeper Aran Pina brought home his first honor after a spectacular weekend protecting the net and helping Cal secure three top-15 wins against then-No. 6 San Jose State, then-No. 9 Pacific and then-No. 11 UC Davis. Pina collected a total of 33 saves and two steals through three games, while posting a career-high 12 saves in the matchup against the Aggies.
 
GOLDEN SUCCESS
The Bears have won 17 NCAA championships, including three out of the last four, making Cal the winningest program in men's water polo history. During Kirk Everist's tenure as head coach, he has been named the ACWPC National Coach of the Year five times (2006, 2016, 2021, 2022, 2023), and the Bears have won six national championships (2006, 2007, 2016, 2021, 2022, 2023) amid his 24 seasons at the helm. Last season, Cal earned four All-MPSF honors, led by first-team selection Max Casabella. George Avakian and Albert Ponferrada received second-team honors, while Jake Howerton was named an honorable mention.
 
FAMILIAR FACES
Cal returns 13 student-athletes from a season ago, including William Kelly, Bende Pardi and Nik Mirkovic, who each surpassed 20 goals during the 2024 season. Goalkeeper Riley Clansen returns after making an appearance in 14 games last season, registering 423 minutes and 87 saves. Senior Albert Ponferrada returns after totaling the second-most assists (48) in the MPSF in 2024. 
 
NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK
The Bears welcomed 11 newcomers, including seven freshmen: Beso Akvlediani (attacker), Kai Inoue (attacker), Tomas Perrone (attacker), Aran Pina (goalkeeper), Gigo Sarimsakci (center), Patrick Stice (utility) and Milan Sumich (defender). The 2025 roster will also feature three transfers: Luke Bachler (attacker), Dominic Brown (center) and Chase Wilson (center), and one graduate student: Loui Schuler (utility).
 
STAY POSTED
For further coverage of Cal men's water polo, follow the Bears on X/ Twitter (@CalWaterPolo) and Instagram (@calmwaterpolo).