HAYWARD, Calif. – Playing just a single game this week, the Cal State East Bay water polo team knocked off Santa Clara, 12-8, on Saturday at Pioneer Pool. The Pioneers (5-5, 3-2 WWPA) never trailed in the game that saw nine different players score goals for East Bay.

Sophomore Claire Pierce got the scoring started just 40 seconds into the first period, giving East Bay an early 1-0 lead. Neither team scored for the nearly three minutes before Erica Crain broke through to put the Pioneers up 2-0. Santa Clara cut the lead in half at the 3:38 mark, but Pierce gave East Bay a two-goal lead again and Sarah Hudyn added another to make it 4-1 in favor of the home team. A goal from Sarah Safir with one minute remaining in the quarter to cut the East Bay lead to 4-2 going into the second period.

The Broncos out-scored the Pioneers 3-2 in the second quarter, but Chelsie Bryan and Whitney Bell helped East Bay maintain a one-goal advantage, 6-5, at the half.

The Pioneers came out of the half with new determination, opening up a 9-5 lead in the first four minutes of the third quarter with three-straight goals from Carly Clark, Bell and Danielle Comforti. Santa Clara's Alison Norris pulled the Broncos back within three, while Taylor Harkins converted on a penalty shot to cut the Pioneer lead to 9-7. Freshman Sarah Grunberger put East Bay back up by three with 28 seconds left in the third.

In a low-scoring fourth, the Pioneers opened with a pair of goals from Hudyn and senior Liz Warren to cap the scoring for East Bay and give it a 12-7 advantage with five minutes to play. Though Santa Clara's Morgan Fornesi scored a last-ditch effort with 29 seconds left, the four-goal lead held up for East Bay.

A well-rounded effort from the Pioneers saw Pierce, Hudyn and Bell each score a pair to lead the scoring efforts for East Bay. Meanwhile, Bryan, Crain, Clark, Warren, Grunberger and Comforti each added a goal apiece. Junior goalie Jayme Pekarske posted eight saves in the win.

Santa Clara was led by Claire Eadington's three goals and Harkins' pair, while goalie Wren White made seven stops for the Broncos.

Cal State East Bay returns to action next weekend when it travels to Orange for the Chapman Tournament. The Pioneers will open the weekend against Mercyhurst on Feb. 26 and will also face Occidental, Cal Lutheran and Cal State San Bernardino in the tournament.


Game Summary

	1	2	3	4	Totals
Santa Clara	2	3	2	1	8
Cal State East Bay	4	2	4	2	12

 
Scoring
SCU: Eadington 3, Harkins 2, Fornesi, Norris, Safir
CSUEB: Bell 2, Hudyn 2, Pierce 2, Bryan, Clark, Comforti, Crain, Grunberger, Warren

Saves
SCU: White 7
CSUEB: Pekarske 8