Cal State Fullerton

Claremont, Calif. – The Cal State Fullerton men's water polo team kicked off the 2026 Inland Empire Classic with a win over Fresno Pacific before taking on Claremont-Mudd-Scripps for the afternoon matchup to secure the Friday sweep.
 
Titans 15, Fresno Pacific 6

The Titans recorded their first win of the weekend with a 15-6 victory over the Fresno Pacific Sunbirds. Fullerton opened the game with a 6-0 run through the second period.
 
Denes Dobi got the Titans' highest scoring game this season going with a goal just 20 seconds in. Carmelo Bangs nabbed back-to-back goals giving the Titans a comfortable lead early on. Jace Peterson and Jason Joseph capped the first quarter with a goal each. Fullerton's defense held the Sunbirds scoreless through the first, taking a 5-0 lead to the second.
 
Kai Kubo extended the Titans unanswered streak to six with an opening goal in the second quarter. FPU scored their first goal of the day before Francisco Paredes, Tony Benedetti and Peterson scored three consecutive goals in just over a minute. FPU closed out the first half with back-to-back goals, but the Titans still led 9-3.
 
Ryan O'Donovan ran the third frame, scoring the only two Titans goals of the period. The Sunbirds scored on a powerplay in between O'Donovan's pair of goals, but Fullerton held onto an 11-4 lead.
 
In the fourth, Bangs scored again, securing his second hat trick of the season. Ethan Cooney shot one past the keeper to put the Titans up 13-4 with four minutes remaining. Titans' freshman, Gavin Shea logged a pair of goals in the final two minutes. FPU tallied two in the fourth, but it was not enough to come out on top as the Titans earned their second victory of the season.
 
The Titans recorded a .441 shooting percentage in game one and went seven for 12 on powerplays. Bangs led the team in goals with his hat trick while MacLeod led in assists and steals with three each. Cy Hammerstrom defended the cage and recorded eight saves, only allowing six on Friday.
 
Titans 13, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 10

The Titans held on for the sweep on Friday with a 13-10 win over the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Stags. MacLeod got the game started with a successful penalty shot and Ethan Merritt followed up with the Titans second goal for an early lead. CMS scored two before O'Donovan made his way onto the board. The Stags posted one more, but Joseph erased it with his first goal of the day.
 
The Titans entered the second with a 4-3 lead. Marton Thuroczy and Peterson tallied their first goals of the day and Joseph tallied two more in the second to record a first half hat trick. The Titans held onto a sturdy 8-5 lead going into the second half.
 
In the third quarter, Dobi scored two while Merritt recorded one goal. The Stags also tallied three goals in the third frame, but Fullerton still led 11-8. In the final period, the Titans goal leaders, Joseph and Dobi, each posted a late goal to secure the sweep on Friday.
 
Joseph led the Titans with four goals and three drawn exclusions against CMS. Dobi recorded his second collegiate hat trick and nabbed two steals. In the goal, Hammerstrom and Ethan Ivey split time, recording a total of seven saves against the Stags.
 
The Titans are back in action on Saturday at 9:30 a.m. against Concordia Irvine and 2 p.m. against Redlands.
 
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Fans can purchase tickets for various Cal State Fullerton athletic events by visiting FullertonTitansTickets.com. The Athletic Ticket Office can also be contacted by phone at 657-278-2783 or by email at athletictixs@fullerton.edu. The Ticket Office is located at the Titan House off of Gymnasium Drive at the eastern end of the Intramural Fields and is open from 10 am – 4 pm PT, Monday – Friday. 

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