Game 1 box | Game 2 box

HAYWARD, Calif. - The Cal State East Bay water polo team returned home to Pioneer Pool to sweep a pair of Saturday opponents in conference foe Cal State Monterey Bay and Fresno Pacific. The Pioneers (12-7, 7-2 CCAA) held both teams to just four goals, toppling the Otters, 10-4, and the Sunbirds, 15-4.

East Bay had 10 different players score goals on Saturday, led by Claire Pierce's six scores. Sarah Grunberger added five goals, while Whitney Bell continued her scoring success of late with four goals in the two victories. In the cage, Cal State East Bay goalie Jayme Pekarske added 24 saves on Saturday while holding the two teams to a season-low of four goals each and posting three scoreless periods.

The Pioneers jumped out to an early 3-0 lead against the Otters and never led by fewer than two goals in the game. Bell got the scoring started just three minutes in, while Grunberger and Sara Hudyn added a goal apiece to give East Bay a three-goal advantage going into the second quarter. The low-scoring second quarter saw Monterey Bay finally get on the board to cut the lead to 3-1 before Carly Clark closed out the period with the Pioneers' fourth goal of the game to send East Bay to the half with a 4-1 advantage.

Pierce opened the second half with her first goal of the day to give the Pioneers a 5-1 advantage, but the Otters answered back with a goal from Nikki Smart to cut the lead back to three goals. East Bay bounced back, however, with a pair of goals from Ariel Noriega and Hudyn to take a 7-2 lead. Cal State Monterey Bay closed out the quarter with a goal to make it 7-3 through three periods.

Cal State East Bay broke the game open in the fourth quarter, out-scoring the Otters 3-1. After Monterey Bay closed the gap to just three goals to start the period, the Pioneers answered with three-straight goals – a pair from Pierce and another from Bell – to cap the scoring and secure the conference victory.

Game two began with the Pioneers and Sunbirds trading goals. Fresno Pacific opened the scoring just over a minute in, but East Bay answered back with a goal from Bell to tie the game 1-1. FPU took a 2-1 lead for just over 30 seconds before Grunberger made it 2-2 and Pierce gave the Pioneers their first lead, 3-2, with 3:56 remaining in the first period. The Sunbirds were tenacious, however, and responded with a goal at the 1:53 mark to tie the game at three goals apiece to end the first period.

Cal State East Bay blew the game wide open in the second quarter, outscoring Fresno Pacific 6-0. The Pioneers kicked off a nine-goal scoring streak with a score from Grunberger, followed by back-to-back goals from Pierce, a goal from Clark and another from Grunberger to take an 8-3 lead. Danielle Comforti found the back of the net with 36 seconds left in the half to send the Pioneers to the break with a 9-3 advantage.

The scoring continued for East Bay after the break, as Bell, Grunberger and Meaghan Paschall finished off the nine goal streak to put the Pioneers up 12-3. Though the Sunbirds snapped the streak with a goal in the final seconds of the third period, East Bay capped the game with three straight goals from Liz Warren, Hudyn and Paschall.

Cal State East Bay returns to action next weekend when they play host to George Washington and Harvard on March 18. The Pioneers will meet the Colonials at 11 a.m. before taking on the Crimson at 2 p.m. at Pioneer Pool.