FULLERTON, Calif. – The Cal State Fullerton Men's Water Polo team advanced to 16-11 on the season after taking down Long Island 19-4 at Titan Aquatics Center on Saturday night. Fullerton posted nine unanswered goals in their first half shutout and Ryan O'Donovan logged a hat trick.
 
The Titans opened their Saturday night match with a bang, logging four goals in the first quarter and tacking on five more in the second to complete their first half shutout over the Sharks. Julian Nichols got the scoring started with a goal less than 20 seconds into the game. Jacob Hatch, Carmelo Bangs and Francisco Parades capped the first frame, contributing to CSF's lead.
 
Nichols led off the second quarter with his second goal of the night. Nico D'Angelo and Togan Ozbek joined in on the action, netting back-to-back goals. Andrew Barnuevo and Luke Vargas rounded out the nine-goal first half, giving the Titans the confidence they needed going into the second half.
 
Parades tallied his second goal of the night in the third quarter, after the Sharks finally made their way onto the board. The man of the half, O'Donovan, recorded his first goal of the game at the 4:04 mark in the third quarter. Ethan MacLeod and Tony Benedetti, who went on to record a multi-goal game, each posted their first goal against the Sharks in the third. O'Donovan and MacLeod went back-to-back, recording another long run of unanswered goals, ending the third quarter by a score of 15-2.
 
In the fourth quarter, Samuel Branco and Kai Kubo made their way past the keeper to keep the Titans rolling. With less than two minutes to go, O'Donovan recorded a hat trick and Benedetti sealed the big Titans 19-4 win.
 
Saturday's win was a team effort as five Titans had a multi-goal game and a total of 13 Titans contributed to Fullerton's 19 goals. Nichols had an impressive game, logging two goals, two assists, and two steals. Ethan Merrit posted two assists and D'Angelo tallied two steals against Long Island.
 
All three Titans goalies saw time in the cage and logged a total of nine saves. Ethan Ivey got the start and played 12 minutes, tallying two of the nine saves. Noah Stark relieved Ivey and led with four saves in his 9:30 minutes of playing time. Cy Hammerstrom closed out the game with three saves.
 
The Titans are back in action next Thursday, Oct. 30 at 6 p.m. at Titan Aquatics Center.
 
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