SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Cal State Fullerton men's water polo dropped both games of their final doubleheader 12-9 to Santa Clara and Brown at the Julian Fraser Tournament on Saturday. Despite the two losses, the Titans stand 16-12 and will finish their inaugural season with a winning record despite the outcomes of their three remaining games.Â
Santa Clara 12, Cal State Fullerton 9
Togan Ozbek scored the game's first goal for an early 1-0 lead after getting blocked on the five-meter attempt that
Ethan Cooney drew.
Dominic Hernandez retook a 2-1 lead on an inside pass from Ozbek at 4:44, but the Broncos quickly evened the score at 2-2. The Broncos found their way to a 3-2 lead and were met with two rebounded saves from
Garrett Henderson before depositing their fourth goal of the game before the end of the opening quarter.
Aaron Ayala answered with a goal to bring Fullerton within one (4-3) of retaking their lead over Santa Clara.
Jacob Hatch opened the second quarter by winning the sprint and launching a shot into the back of the net to tie the game at 4-4.Â
Santa Clara worked to an 8-5 lead over the Titans in the second quarter before
Zack Ewing sent a long pass to
Nico D'Angelo, who backstroked the ball into the net to bring the game within two goals, 8-6, at halftime.Â
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This two-goal race continued in the third quarter as the left-handed
Alec Isaacman deposited a shot assisted by his co-captain, D'Angelo.
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Recording his second goal of the game in the final quarter, Ozbek earned his team-leading 50th goal. The Titans could not regain a lead over the Broncos, falling 12-9.Â
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Brown 12, Cal State Fullerton 9
Fullerton struggled to complete a shot in the first quarter until
Francisco Paredes finished a pass from
Jacob Hatch five minutes in to tie the game at 1-1.Â
Brown retook the lead 2-1 before Ozbek opened the second quarter with an unassisted goal to tie the game.Â
Jacob Hatch took his time securing Fullerton's first lead of the game (3-2) but was met with three Brown goals to trail 5-3 at the break.Â
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Julian Nichols deposited a penalty shot and Ozbek added his 52nd goal of the season to the board after the break to trail Brown by one, 6-5.Â
By the end of the third quarter, Brown's offense broke double digits, leading the Titans 10-8. Fullerton's three goals came from Paredes,
Ethan Cooney on a power-play and Hatch.Â
Ozbek struck again, skipping a shot by Brown's goalie in the fourth quarter, however, it was not enough to overcome Brown's 12-9 lead.Â
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The Titans are set to host conference rival No. 8 Long Beach State at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 28.Â
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Fans can keep up with the latest in Titan Athletics by following us on Facebook (Facebook/FullertonTitans), Twitter (@FullertonTitans) Instagram (@FullertonTitans). In addition, the water polo teams have established their own Twitter (@Fullerton_WP) and Instagram accounts (@Fullerton_WP).
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