FULLERTON, Calif. - For the first time in Titan history, the Cal State Fullerton men's soccer team has been chosen as the favorite to capture the Big West South Division, the conference announced on Wednesday.
The Titans, back-to-back Big West Tournament champions, received seven of eight first place votes and collected 31 points overall in the South Division, 11 more than both UC Irvine and CSUN who tied for second in the poll with 20 points. UC Riverside finished at the bottom of the South Division with nine points.
After earning All-Big West Honorable Mention and All-Freshman team honors last season, Fullerton's Ronaldo Pineda was named to the Big West Preseason All-Conference Team. The sophomore is the first Titan to be chosen to the Preseason All-Conference Team since 2014.
Pineda led the attack for the Titans in 2015 as he had a team-high 38 shots and placed 10 of those on target, while netting two goals and collecting one assist. The Santa Ana native has developed himself into one of the premier midfielders in the Big West as he looks to continue to push the ball for the Titans this season.
With Fullerton headlining the South, UC Santa Barbara was chosen to finish first in the North as they received 32 points in the poll. Cal Poly follows the Gauchos, while UC Davis and Sacramento State round out the poll. `
The 2016 season looks to be a special one as the Titans are coming off a historic season in 2015 where they collected 13 wins (most since 2000), won their second-straight Big West Tournament Title and made back-to-back appearances in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 21 years.
Fans can get an early glimpse of this year's team on Saturday at Titan Stadium as the annual Alumni Game will be played at 7 p.m. PT.
On Friday, all Fullerton soccer fans, alumni, supporters and family are invited to the first-annual Footgolf Fundraiser at the Brea Creek Golf Course. Those interested in attending the event should visit https://events.fullerton.edu/rsvp.aspx?lEvent_sk=229 for more information.
For everything CSUF men's soccer, follow @CSUFMensSoccer on Twitter.