Game 1 box | Game 2 box

HONOLULU, Hawaii - Facing their seventh and eighth ranked opponents of the season, the Cal State East Bay women's water polo team held its own against fifth-ranked Hawaii, trailing by just three goals heading into the final period in an eventual 15-8 loss, before falling behind early against No. 11 San Diego State in a 13-6 defeat on Friday at the Duke Kahanamoku Aquatic Complex. The Pioneers (14-9) trailed 7-5 at the half against Hawaii, but struggled through a fourth quarter that saw the Rainbow Wahine outscore them 6-2 to secure the victory. In game two, East Bay could not overcome an 8-2 first-half deficit, despite three goals in the final period.

Sophomore Claire Pierce led the Pioneers with four goals against Hawaii, including three in the second period. Meanwhile, sophomore Chelsie Bryan notched a pair and Liz Warren and Erica Crain each added a goal apiece to round out the scoring for East Bay. Junior goalie Jayme Pekarske made seven saves in goal, posting four of those in the low-scoring third period.

The Pioneers matched the Rainbow Wahine early on, answering Hawaii's opening goal with one from Crain to tie things up 1-1 with 5:54 left in the first period. After UH's Kelly McKee scored back-to-back goals, including a penalty shot conversion with 2:04 remaining, East Bay answered with a score from Warren to pull back within one goal with just under two minutes to go in the quarter. The Rainbow Wahine regained the momentum with a last-minute goal from Monika Eggens to take a 4-2 lead into the second period.

Hawaii's Amarens Genee and Pierce traded goals to open scoring in the second period that saw the Pioneers match the Rainbow Wahine goal-for-goal. After Genee's goal put UH up 5-2, Pierce pulled East Bay back within three just 18 seconds later. Pierce's second score of the game with three minutes to play in the first half, cut the Hawaii lead back to one, 5-4. Though the Rainbow Wahine responded with back-to-back goals of their own, Pierce – who was responsible for all of the Pioneer scoring in the second quarter – sent East Bay into the half trailing by just two, 7-5.

The third period saw the two teams combine for just three goals, however Hawaii held the advantage, opening and closing the period with goals from Dagmar Genee and McKee. In between, Bryan put away her first score of the game, but the Rainbow Wahine took a 9-6 lead into the final period.

Hawaii opened the fourth quarter with two goals in the first two minutes and never looked back. Although Bryan closed the gap to four with a goal at the 6:08 mark, the Rainbow Wahine posted three straight scores to take a 14-7 lead with just 2:39 remaining. Pierce tried to pull back the momentum with a goal at the 2:10 mark, but Hawaii sealed the victory and capped the scoring with a goal from Sivan Pardon in the final two minutes.

The loss is the second straight for East Bay at the hands of Head Coach Lisa Cooper's alma mater. Last year, with Hawaii ranked third in the nation, the Pioneers fell to Hawaii, 14-6, in the NorCal Invitational at Cal.

Whitney Bell posted a hat trick in game two to lead Cal State East Bay, while Pierce brought her total on the day to six goals with another pair against the Aztecs. Tristan Kennedy-Donohue rounded out the scoring for the Pioneers and Pekarske made another six saves in her second loss of the day.

San Diego State opened up a 5-1 lead in the first period and never looked back. The Pioneer offense was stifled, scoring just one goal in each of the first three periods, while the Aztecs built an 8-2 advantage at the half and a 12-3 lead through three quarters. Trailing by eight going into the final period, East Bay put in a final push, scoring three goals in the last eight minutes, but SDSU answered with a goal of its own to seal the win.

Cal State East Bay returns to action tomorrow, when it takes on WWPA rival UC San Diego. The two teams last met on Feb. 11 in La Jolla, when the Tritons came away with a narrow 8-6 victory, the Pioneers' only conference loss of the season so far. East Bay will look for redemption and to cap the Spring Break trip with a victory at 12 p.m. PT on Saturday at Duke Kahanamoku Aquatic Complex on the University of Hawaii campus.