FULLERTON, Calif. – The UC Irvine men's water polo team won the inaugural Big West regular season title with their 21-3 victory over Cal State Fullerton on Saturday evening.
 
This is the programs first regular season title since the 2000 season where they tied for first place in the MPSF.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Junior Ethan Shipman and freshman Johann Thrall led the game with their four goals on four shots
• Jack Stevens notched the hat-trick in the second quarter with three goals on five shots
• Samuel Otta, Gage Verdegaal, and Wyley Dale rounded out the double-figure scoring with two goals each
• Thomas Cass, Tyler Padua, John Billington, and Zachary Baxter all had one goal apiece
• Junior Jacob Pyle made the start in the cage and recorded five saves and two steals in 32 minutes
• Jasper Dale and Baxter each had a game best three assists
• Thrall tied Pyle for the game high two steals

 
SCORING BREAKDOWN

• First period: Thrall started off the scoring for No. 6/9 UC Irvine sprinting down the pool after Pyle blocked the shot. The Anteaters scored four more goals in the period which was capped by a penalty shot by Shipman to lead, 5-1.
  • Thrall (2), Shipman (1), Stevens (1), and Verdegaal (1)
• Second period: Cal State Fullerton came out of the break with a plan putting one away early. The Anteaters would go on a 8-0 run with scores from six different players to increase their advantage, 13-2.
  • Shipman (2), Stevens (2), Cass (1), Padua (1), Thrall (1), and Verdegaal (1)
• Third period: The Titans played hard defense after the break only giving up three goals. CSUF got on the board with 1:35 left in the period on the 6-on-4 attack. UCI stayed ahead, 16-3.
  • Baxter (1), Shipman (1), and Thrall (1)
• Fourth period: Dialed into the game, UC Irvine did not back down and saw multiple goals from W. Dale and Otta in the final stanza. The Anteaters did not allow a shot to cross the line in eight minutes to earn the 21-3 win
  • W. Dale (2), Otta (2), and Billington (1)

 
UP NEXT
UC Irvine awaits their pairing in the Big West Championship semifinals between the No. 4 seeded UC Davis and No. 5 seeded Long Beach State on Saturday Nov. 18 at 11:30 a.m. in La Jolla.