IRVINE, CA--- The California Baptist men's water polo team posted a perfect Saturday from the UC Irvine pool after defeating both Chapman and Cal State Fullerton for a nearly flawless weekend overall. CBU improves to 3-1 on the season with its trio of wins during the opening weekend.
GAME 1 vs CHAPMAN:
The Lancers kicked off the Saturday slate with a commanding win over Chapman, downing the Panthers 20-3 in an impressive display of offense from Kevin Rosa's squad. 12 Lancers found the back of the net for the decisive victory, as Alex Righetti posted his third hat trick of the season for nine goals on the young season. CBU also boasted solid defense after limiting the Pathers to just three goals across the four periods. Trent De Leuuw allowed just one goal while totaling 10 saves between the posts for CBU. The dominating win by 17 goals was the most since California Baptist's 25-6 win over the University of La Verne during the 2024 season.
GAME 2 vs CAL STATE FULLERTON:
CBU continued at the UCI Invite as they took on the Cal State Fullerton Titans in the second match of the day. The offense from the first match carried over into this one as the Lancers outlasted the Titans 19-15 for their second victory of the day.
The opening period had plenty of action to go around as the Lancers netted a trio of early goals. The Titans responded with a trio of their own, but Andrea Nuzzo would have the final laugh of the frame, firing one into the back of the net in the final 20 seconds to give the Lancers the one-goal edge after eight minutes. CBU expanded its lead to as many as three in the second period, but the Titans would not let the game get away from them and would tack on a late goal to cut the deficit to two before halftime.
The Titans turned up the heat in the third period with a 4-1 run to tie the game at 11 apiece and force Kevin Rosa to call a timeout to regroup his squad. Righetti and Luca Imbriolo would score goals out of the timeout to help the Lancers maintain a multi-goal lead as the game shifted to the fourth period. CBU's offense finally distanced itself in the final frame as it would put six goals on the board compared to four for the Titans to take the victory 19-15.
Three different Lancers posted hat tricks in the victory, including a team-best four goals from Nuzzo. Nuzzo also distributed two assists to lead the way with six points. Wyatt Bugbee and Righetti were equally impactful on the offensive attack, combining for six goals on 13 shots, while Michael Abshier had two goals and two assists for Rosa's squad. In goal, De Leeuw and Tanner McCreary split the time, combining for six total saves.
NEXT: The Lancers will hit the East Coast for the Princeton Invite, beginning with a bout against UCLA on Friday, September 5.
