Courtesy: Fullerton Athletics
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The Cal State Fullerton Titans women’s water polo earned just their second Big West Conference win in program history after defeating UC Santa Barbara 11-9 on the road on Saturday afternoon.
The Titans improved to 12-8 on the season and 1-2 in Big West play. This was the second win in Big West history for the 4th year of the Titans Women’s Water Polo program and their first conference win since the 2024 season.
The Titans spread out the attack as Destiny Hernandez, Kenzie Searle, Chandler Burrell, Emme Doube-MacLeod, and Lotte Boxsem scored twice. Jade Lonzo also scored for the Titans. Renske Boxsem picked up the win in the cage after making eight saves.
After giving up the first goal of the game to the Gauchos, the Titans were all over Santa Barbara the rest of the first quarter. Destiny Hernandez, Chandler Burrell, and Kenzie Searle scored to make it a 3-1 game. UCSB got one back before Emme Doube-MacLeod and Kenzie Searle scored twice in the final minute to make it a 5-2 game.
The Gauchos outscored the Titans 3-2 in the second quarter. After a Gaucho goal on the power play scoring in the second, Jade Lonzo scored on a Titans power play to make it 6-3. The Gauchos got two goals to make it 6-5 before Chandler Burrell scored right before the half ended to make it a 7-5 game.
The third quarter was a defensive battle from both teams until Hernandez scored the first goal of the quarter with 1:37 left. Lotte Boxsem scored on a power play to give the Titans a 9-5 lead. The Gaucho got one goal before the period ended to make it a 9-6 game after three.
The Gauchos scored to start the fourth quarter before Lotte Boxsem and Emme Doube-MacLeod scored to make it 11-7. The Titans’ defense held on the rest of the way and they conceded two late goals while trying to run down the shot clock to grind out the 11-9 win.
The Titans return home next week for five games. They will host Carthage College on Thursday before being one of the four hosts of the Convergence Tournament over Friday and Saturday.
Courtesy: UCSB Athletics
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — The UC Santa Barbara Women’s Water Polo team played at home for the first time in 2026 on Saturday, hosting Cal State Fullerton. After falling in an early hole, the Gauchos attempted to claw back, but while they out-scored the Titans over the final three quarters, it was not enough to complete the comeback in an 11-9 defeat.
Team top scorer Cami Mras was one of three Gauchos leading the way on offense with a pair of goals, joined by second-leading scorer Loretta Hovey and Molly Souza. Isabel Valaika had an incredible day playmaking, setting up five of Santa Barbara’s nine goals. At the defensive end, Keira Wall made 10 saves to keep the Gauchos in the game, the first double-digit haul of her collegiate career.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Gauchos got off on the right foot on Saturday, with Gigi Rimlinger opening the scoring. Unfortunately, it turned into a game of runs and Santa Barbara could not put together as many as their guests. The Titans scored three straight to take the lead, and scored two more in a row after Hovey’s first tally of the game had gotten the Gauchos within one. The 5-2 margin was Santa Barbara’s mountain to climb, which they set about pretty effectively in the second quarter.
Souza scored both of her goals in the second period, with just one in response from the Titans. Then, with two and a half minutes until halftime, Zoe Gabriel beat the shot clock buzzer from deep to cut the deficit to one, where it stayed until the final two seconds of the half, When Fullerton went back up by a pair.
The defenses and goalkeepers ruled the third quarter, with only three goals between the two teams and none of them coming until the final two minutes of the frame. The Titans scored twice in quick succession to take a 9-5 lead into the final minute of the third, but Eliza Harlow scored to keep the gap at just three goals heading into the fourth quarter.
The gap came down to two with Mras’ first goal of the day with six and a half minutes to play, but two more Titan goals made a comeback an even taller task. The Gauchos looked like they could make a run at it when Hovey’s second goal of the game breathed life back into the capacity crowd with just under two minutes to play, but Santa Barbara took until the final six seconds to cut the deficit down to two.
UP NEXT
The Gauchos remain at home for their next two matches, hosting No. 10 UC Irvine on Friday, March 6 and No. 11 Long Beach State on Sunday, March 8. For the most up-to-date game information, visit ucsbgauchos.com.
