BERKELEY. – The No. 4 California men's water polo team defeated fifth-seed Johns Hopkins 26-4 in the first round of the MPSF Championship on Friday at Avery Aquatics Center in Stanford. The Golden Bears now advance to the semi-final round to face No. 1 UCLA tomorrow at 1 p.m. on Ovrnght.
 
Cal dominated the match in every facet scoring its 26 goals on 39 attempts with 16 goals being assisted on. The Bears won all four sprints, collected eight field blocks and had 15 steals.
 
Fourteen different Bears scored in the contest led by Alex Oprea who netted a career-high five goals in his postseason debut. Eight Bears scored two goals including Luke Bachler who added a team-high six assists for a career-high eight points.
 
After three minutes of scoreless action, Cal went on a huge run scoring eight goals in seven minutes compared to just one for Johns Hopkins. Five Bears scored in the quarter including Tomas Perrone, Kai Inoue and Bende Pardi who all had a pair of goals. Cal went deep into its bench early as four different Bears got on the board in the second quarter to close out the first half up 12-2.
 
Cal won the third quarter 9-2 and finished off the afternoon by winning the fourth quarter 5-1.
 
Riley Clansen earned the start in goal for the Bears and had a solid outing allowing just four goals to go along with 13 saves, which is the second most he's collected this season.
 
The Bears will now face the Bruins for the fourth time this season looking for their first win over the nation's top-ranked team. The winner will advance straight to the MPSF Championship for a chance at an automatic berth to the NCAA Championship.