BERKELEY, Calif. --- For the second straight day, seventh-ranked UC Irvine took a top-five team to the wire as the 'Eaters fell to No. 3 California, 12-10, in a Mountain Pacific Sports Federation game at Berkeley Sunday.

Kyle Trush led UCI (11-6, 1-2 MPSF) with three goals while Lovre Milos, Ryan Warde and Matt Skinner scored two each.

The 'Eaters trailed 7-4 at halftime and were down 8-4 early in the third quarter before scoring four of the game's next five goals.

Back-to-back goals from Milos at 6:08 and Trush at 4:55 pulled UCI within 8-6.

Colin Mulcahy scored for the Bears (16-3, 2-0) with 4:32 left in the quarter to extend the lead to 9-6, but Pablo Carballo (3:18) and Warde (:05) responded for UCI to close the gap to 9-8 entering the final quarter.

Luca Cupido scored for Cal with 4:39 remaining in the fourth for a 10-8 lead before Trush answered at the 4:22 mark to make it a one-goal game once again.

The Bears' Odysseas Masmanidis continued the furious scoring with 4:14 left for an 11-9 Cal lead.

Milos countered with a goal at the 2:45 mark to draw UCI within 11-10 before Cal's Conor Neumann connected with 1:33 remaining for the final tally.

"We kept the intensity on Cal for four quarters," UCI head coach Marc Hunt said.  "We had them on the ropes and must do a better job of closing out high percentage looks in the fourth quarter.

"Trush and Lovre both hit quality looks in the fourth and Warde is showing he can deliver as well.  It was a great effort and we will keep pushing for the result we want."

UCI hosts the Alumni Saturday at noon, then takes on top-ranked UCLA Sunday at 2:00 p.m. in a MPSF game at the Anteater Aquatics Complex.


UC Irvine                            2-2-4-2 --- 10
California                           4-3-2-3 --- 12

UCI:  Kyle Trush 3, Lovre Milos 2, Ryan Warde 2, Matt Skinner 2, Pablo Carballo.

Cal:  Luca Cupido 3, Colin Mulcahy 2, Johnny Hooper 2, Odysseas Masmanidis 2, Conor Neumann 2, Vassilis Tzavaras.

Saves:  Dylan Peterson (UCI) 11;  Lazar Andric (Cal) 12.

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