The Cal State Fullerton men’s lacrosse team (2-3) left for Las Vegas Friday hungry for some wins, and they managed to return with two big victories to satisfy their cravings.

They defeated Western Oregon 12-11 Friday in a nail-biter, and then came back Saturday to crush Utah Valley in an impressive 17-4 win.

The Titans lacrosse team, who are the defending three-time Southwestern Conference Division II champions, lost their first three games of the season.

The start of the season pitted the Titans against several high-ranked teams from Division I. The Div. II Titans may have been 0-3, but that didn’t dampen their spirits. They continued to believe in themselves, and they understood what would be needed from them to turn things around.

The two wins were just what the doctor ordered for a young team that needs to experience winning in order to gain some confidence.

Head Coach Mike Morrison has led CSUF to all three of their recent championships, so he would not allow the squad to become complacent.

Paul Morgan, a junior public administration major, thought the team’s expectations were a little high going into the season, considering they lost several key players from last year’s championship team.

“The loss of Mike Ansul, J.R. Grubert and Andrew Hauke (to graduation) kind of set our offense back a little,” said Morgan. “Once we get a little more chemistry on offense I think we’ll start to see a big turnaround.

And a turnaround was just what they got, as the Titan offense exploded for 29 goals in the two games combined, giving them a much-needed boost to an offense that was slow to gel.

Co-captain Ryan Forrest, a senior finance major, said the early competition against Div. I programs played a big part in them getting off to a slow start.

“I see a lot of improvement in our team,” said Forrest. “A lot of the teams we’ll be playing will be more fairly matched, and I see us doing really well.”

In the first three games, the brother tandem of freshman Cameron Cole and junior Chris Cole has been leading the Titans’ attack. Heading into Las Vegas, Cameron has 9 goals with 3 assists, and Chris has 2 goals and 2 assists.

A big highlight for the Titans so far was Cameron being named the Southwestern Conference Player of the Week for his 5-goal, 2-assist game against San Diego State Feb. 4.

Senior co-captain Christian Wheeler, an economics major, said that a little work on fundamentals would go a long way in solving any problems they may have been having before the Las Vegas trip.

“We need improvement on our offensive stick work,” said Wheeler. “We have trouble getting the ball around and handling pressure, also getting in on defense and our transition game hasn’t been what it should be.”

A season that began with three straight losses and tested the Titans’ character has been turned around with two much-needed wins in Las Vegas. The future looks bright for the Titans as they head into the heart of their schedule.