Championship Central |
Box Score |
Game Highlights
UC Davis, the No. 3 seed, powered past sixth-seeded Cal State Fullerton, 14-9, in Friday’s second game of the First Round of the 2025 Big West Men’s Water Polo Championship at the Anteater Aquatics Complex in Irvine, Calif.
Cal State Fullerton opened the scoring just 44 seconds into the match, as Alec Isaacman delivered the early strike to put the Titans ahead 1-0. The lead was short-lived. UC Davis surged into control with six unanswered goals over the next six minutes. Oriol Viñas tied the match at 5:03, followed by a string of exclusion conversions from Mateo Ruano, Adam Ting, and Viñas again to build a 4-1 advantage. Even-strength finishes by Brody Crouch and Will Stryker stretched the margin to 6-1 before the Titans’ Francesco Schiaffino beat the first-period horn with an exclusion goal, trimming the Aggies’ lead to 6-2 after eight minutes.
Fullerton pushed back early in the second frame behind Nico D’Angelo, who cut the deficit to three at the 4:19 mark. UC Davis responded with steady offensive execution, as Andrew Hitchcock and Thomas Marr each found the cage, sending the Aggies into halftime with an 8-3 cushion.
UC Davis maintained its rhythm in the third period. Hitchcock struck again at 7:32, notching his second goal of the day. Fullerton answered with an exclusion goal from Jacob Hatch, but the Aggies countered immediately with a finish by Timothy Kerr. Isaacman scored his second of the match at 4:41, yet UC Davis continued to keep the Titans at arm’s length thanks to an exclusion goal from William Fosselman. Fullerton closed the period with goals from Luke Vargas and Schiaffino, bringing the difference to 11-6 heading into the final quarter.
In the fourth, the Aggies sealed the match with a composed closing stretch. Adam Ting tallied his second of the game at 5:54 on an exclusion chance, and Andrew Bonelli added another two minutes later. Hatch converted a penalty for the Titans at 2:38, and Isaacman completed his hat trick with :52 remaining, but Ruano delivered the final blow for UC Davis at :23 to cap the 14-9 victory.
UC Davis outshot Fullerton 34-25, dominated the sprint line 4-0, and posted seven assists on its 14 goals. The Aggies also collected five steals and forced 13 Titan exclusions. Fullerton countered with a nine-goal effort on 25 attempts, including multi-goal performances from Isaacman (3) and Schiaffino (2).
With the win, UC Davis advances to Saturday’s semifinal round, while the Titans conclude their 2025 season at 17-15
Gallery: (11-21-2025) 25 MWP Champs: No. 3 UCD vs No. 6 CSF