SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Cal State Fullerton women's water polo's inaugural Big West tournament appearance ended after being defeated by first seed UC Irvine, 18-5, in the opening round on Friday.
Despite the loss, Head Coach Kyle Witt applauded his team for their improvement after 32 games.
"We started our season here at a UC Santa Barbara tournament, and we ended our season here in Santa Barbara at a tournament," Witt said. "The progress made outside of the pool is what defined this season. The scoreboard, the game, that was all kind of predetermined, but how they lost, played, and learned lessons along the way were important and evident to the coaching staff."
The Anteaters grabbed a 4-0 lead over the Titans a period and a half into the game before Delaney Wilder took away their chances of getting shut out with a shot from the outside.
Delaney Wilder gets the Titans on the board! #TusksUp pic.twitter.com/zuMsilc8CS
— Titans Men's & Women's Water Polo (@Fullerton_WP) April 28, 2023
The Titans offense grew silent after the break as UCI held them to Wilder's solo goal and improved their lead, 13-1, heading into the final period of play.
Wilder bounced a ball through the arms of an Anteater to find the back of the net for a power play goal. Before this attempt, the Titans were 0-6 on the power play.
Wilder gets the first power play goal! #TusksUp pic.twitter.com/8xV4Bi59o8
— Titans Men's & Women's Water Polo (@Fullerton_WP) April 28, 2023
Mia Solorzano came alive in the fourth period, banking three goals for the Titans. Solorzano's first goal came shortly after an exclusion against UCI with a shot up the middle.
Solorzano flexed her range with a powerful shot from a distance to grab her second goal with 1:42 left on the clock before another long-range shot created a perfect arc off of her palm, finding the back of the net for the last Titans goal of the game.
MAMA MIA! #TusksUp pic.twitter.com/sJEgA8Bn8l
— Titans Men's & Women's Water Polo (@Fullerton_WP) April 28, 2023
With their first season in the books, women's water polo will return home and pivot their focus to next season's preparations.
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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).