HORNETS OUTLAST SANTA MONICA IN SEASON OPENER

The Hornet men's water polo team broke up a four-year drought on Wednesday afternoon starting off the season in thrilling fashion by holding off Santa Monica College for a 19-16 road victory.

Fullerton came out firing early in the game putting up 8 goals in the first quarter to grab momentum. The Corsairs countered with 6 goals of their own to keep it close, but FC's balanced attack proved too much as they tacked on 3 more goals in the second, 4 in the third, and another 4 goals in the final quarter to secure the win.

Leading the charge for Fullerton was Michael Rousselo, who delivered a dominant performance with 7 goals, 2 assists, and 4 steals. Christian Johnston also made a major impact, scoring 4 goals, adding 4 steals, and drawing 4 exclusions. Evan Mendoza chipped in 3 goals, while Elijah Trinidad tossed in 2 goals and assisted 2 more.

On the defensive end, goalkeeper Isaac Roque held strong in the cage, recording 11 saves against 27 shots while going the distance for all four quarters.

It was the Hornet program's first win since the 2021 season when they won just two games (El Camino and Palomar). The last time the Hornets won a season opener was in 2019, a 17-8 win over Chaffey College. Big things are happening for the FC men's water polo team under new head coach Gary Cheever, who took over the reins last spring.

"Today's win was a complete team effort from the players to the coaching staff. We've had a few conversations regarding the streak the program had going, and today was a great first step to bring life back to a proud Hornet program", said Coach Cheever.

Up Next: The Hornets (1-0 overall) will play another road game on September 10^th when they travel up to Rio Hondo College for a 3:00 pm match.