LA JOLLA, Calif. – Cal State Fullerton men's water polo concluded their inaugural season with a 16-5 loss to UC San Diego in the First Round of The Big West Championship on Friday night. The Titans finished their season 16-16 overall under the leadership of head coach Kyle Witt. 

With the addition of Titans Men's Water Polo, The Big West met the criteria to create its own men's water polo conference championship this season. In past years, the other five opponents (Long Beach State, UC Davis, UC Irvine, UC San Diego and UC Santa Barbara) were endorsed as varsity sports teams. 

"The 2023 season was a huge success. Learning how to prepare and perform in this tournament was my top goal for this team," Witt said. "These guys have only known each other for about 100 days, so the fact that everyone came together, found common goals, and worked tirelessly towards bettering this program for others is a testament to their character."

Julian Nichols tied the game at 1-1 after UC San Diego scored the game's first goal. Nichols deposited his 55th goal of the season on the pass from Togan Ozbek who leads the team with 41 assists. 

Trailing 5-1, Jacob Hatch (41 G) powered an off-balance shot into the twine in an effort to chip away at their deficit. Bende Aubeli followed in scoring the third goal for the Titans to cut UC San Diego's lead in half, 6-3, before the end of the first quarter. 
 

Hatch Attack ??#TusksUp pic.twitter.com/BzwEq1vnO4

— Titans Men's & Women's Water Polo (@Fullerton_WP) November 18, 2023

The Titans entered halftime trailing the Tritons 10-3 after going scoreless in the second quarter. 

Nico D'Angelo opened the second half with an even-strength goal, but the Titans remained more than a handful of goals behind the Tritons, who led 10-4. He scored a goal against the Tritons in their first season meeting on October 13. The Golden West College transfer finished his first Division I season with 29 goals and 26 assists. 
 

D'Angelo skips it in!! #TusksUp pic.twitter.com/RMOQAFc6ix

— Titans Men's & Women's Water Polo (@Fullerton_WP) November 18, 2023

Dominic Hernandez assumed his position at the five-meter mark in the fourth quarter after the officials signaled for a penalty foul with under four minutes remaining. Hernandez scored the last Titan goal of their inaugural season and finished with the third-most goals on the team (47). The Titans were not able to catch the Tritons who secured the 16-5 victory and move on to The Big West Semifinals. 

"Many of the players in this program today won't see the fruits of their labor, but those who come after them will be told of the '23 team and the program that they helped start," Witt said. "I think everyone saw what it takes and is excited to get into the off-season and use the lessons learned."

WATCH THE TITANS ON ESPN+
Titans fans can now watch every home event exclusively on ESPN+. Cal State Fullerton has built a top-tier production studio to give the viewers an ESPN quality production for all games at Titan Stadium. Additionally, all schools in the Big West Conference are committed to producing ESPN quality streams which will allow fans to watch the Titans on ESPN+ for all road conference games.

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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).