Titan Men Earn Berth in NCAA Soccer Tournament; They’ll Host UCLA Sunday

Cal State Fullerton was selected Monday for the 32-team NCAA Division I men’s soccer tournament field and will host UCLA in a first-round game at 2 p.m. Sunday.

The Titans will be making their third tournament appearance in four years under Coach Al Mistri.

“I thought we’d make it, but I’m really glad we’ll be playing at home,” Mistri said.

Fullerton (10-4-5) lost, 2-0, to UCLA (16-3) in October, and has won only three games in 23 meetings with the Bruins.

The winner of the Fullerton-UCLA game will meet Creighton (15-4-1) or Southern Methodist (14-4-1) the next weekend.

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Cal State Fullerton has signed its first 7-foot basketball player.

Corey Gipson, who committed to the Titans in the early signing period, plays for Lansing (Mich.) Everett High School, where Magic Johnson played. Gipson played sparingly as a junior because of injuries.

A school spokesman said two players also have signed with the Titan women’s basketball team.

Loren Gualco, a 6-0 forward from Belmont (Calif.), averaged 20 points and 13 rebounds as a junior. Joyce Sudario, a 5-5 guard, averaged 12 points and six assists as a junior for Silverado High in Henderson, Nev.

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Unseeded Esperanza has worked its way into tonight’s semifinal round of the Southern Section Division I-AA girls’ volleyball tournament after upsetting second-seeded Dana Hills in Saturday’s quarterfinals.

Esperanza (19-4), led by middle blocker Amy Nihipali, hosts third-seeded Laguna Beach (21-2) at 7 p.m. and the winner earns a trip to Cypress College on Saturday for the final. Laguna Beach is led by setter Carolyn Kittell.

In the other Division I-AA semifinal, at 7 tonight, fourth-seeded Newport Harbor (16-3) travels to top-seeded Manhattan Beach Mira Costa (21-1).

Three more county teams will battle in the Division I-A semifinals, at 7 tonight , when fourth-seeded Irvine (12-5) hosts top-seeded Fountain Valley (16-2) and second-seeded Capistrano Valley (13-3) hosts Thousand Oaks (11-6).

Huntington Beach (17-1), second-seeded in Division II-AA, gets its biggest test of the playoffs so far when it plays at third-seeded San Clemente (10-12) at 7 p.m.

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Heather Culver, a shortstop/third baseman at Villa Park, has signed a letter of intent to play softball at South Carolina.

Culver, who missed about half of last season because of a groin injury, will pitch for the Gamecocks.

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Cypress High School hired Anthony Russomanno as boys’ soccer coach, Athletic Director Rob Walker said.

Russomanno will replace Tate Swindell, who left to pursue other interests. Russomanno, who played college soccer at UC Irvine, was an assistant coach at Fountain Valley the last four years.