IRVINE, Calif.— Men's water polo opened up the 2025 season playing against Division I Cal Baptist and Division II Concordia University Irvine (CUI) at the UC Irvine Tournament. The team fell to Cal Baptist 20-3 and CUI 20-12. 

Against Division I Cal Baptist, the Panthers struggled but showed flashes of potential in the season debut. Returning All-American goalkeeper Jackson Sanders recorded six saves while fellow backup goalkeeper David Yacoup had another seven saves in the second half. As the goalkeepers showed flashes of what is to come, Ian Jones, Matthew Cormican and Nathan Jones all netted goals in the team's debut. 

Against Division II CUI, the Panthers showed immense improvement on the offensive side of the pool. Junior All-American Davin Castillo led the way with six total points including three goals along with three assists. Senior Nathan Jones also contributed another three goals and had three earned ejections for the game. Jones, a center on the team, was a two sport athlete at Orange Coast College who backed up ACWPC All-American Nate Randolph in 2024. Joshua Brown and Daniel Franks contributed another combined five goals to round out the improved offensive performance for the Panthers. 

Chapman will look to bounce back on Sept. 3 as they host OCC and head on the road to play against Long Beach State on Sept. 6.