Scoresheet

HAYWARD, Calif. – The Cal State East Bay water polo team scored multiple goals in every quarter to earn a 15-4 victory over Fresno Pacific on a dreary Friday at Pioneer Pool. The Pioneers (8-7) held an opponent under five goals for the third time this season and posted its second-highest scoring total of the season in the win.

Sophie Armstrong got the East Bay offense going almost immediately, butting away a goal just over 40 seconds into the game. Pierce posted her first goal of the game less than a minute later, giving the Pioneers a 2-0 lead. Fresno Pacific answered in the third minute of the game to cut the lead to just one before East Bay kicked off a seven-goal scoring streak with a backhand score from close range by Pierce. Leading 3-1, the Pioneers added two goals, one from Sara Hudyn and another from Kate McAfee, before the end of the first quarter to take a 5-1 advantage into the second period.

In the lowest-scoring quarter of the game, the Pioneers held the Sunbirds scoreless thanks to two saves by goalie Jayme Pekarske. East Bay also drew three Fresno Pacific ejections and got goals from Hudyn and McAfee to take a 7-1 lead into the break.

It took more than four minutes for either team to get on the board in the third quarter before Hudyn scored her third goal of the game to put the Pioneers up by seven, 8-1, with 3:35 to play in the period. Pierce made it 9-1 with her first of three goals in the third quarter before the Sunbirds ended a 19-minute scoring drought with their second goal of the game at the 2:32 mark. Though FPU had pulled back within seven, the Pioneers quickly added two goals from Pierce – one tip-in on a pass from Meaghan Paschall and another off the rebound from a Paschall shot – to take an 11-2 lead through three quarters.

Fresno Pacific's Malory Rettig scored the first and only 6-on-5 goal of the game to start scoring in the fourth quarter, cutting the East Bay lead to 11-3 with just under seven minutes to play. Three minutes later, the Pioneers got the first of two goals in the quarter from Erica Crain, who took advantage of a lead pass from McAfee to put East Bay up 12-3. With 3:19 to play, Crain scored again to push the lead to 10 for the first time. Though FPU answered with a goal just 25 seconds later, it was too little, too late, as the Pioneers finished the game with goals from Carly Clark and Paschall to pick up the 15-4 victory – their fourth in the last five games.

Though the Pioneers didn't convert on a single 6-on-5 opportunity, seven different players scored and four of those had multiple goals in the game. Pierce led all scorers with five goals, while Hudyn notched three and played some quality defense, blocking at least two Sunbird shots in the game. Both Crain and McAfee added a pair, while Clark, Paschall and Armstrong scored one goal apiece to round out scoring for East Bay.

Pekarske made five saves in the first two quarters before giving way to Marrina Nation, who made one save in the third and Mary Reardon who made a pair of saves in the fourth. Jaimie Lugo led the Sunbirds with two goals, while Charissa Gurnea and Kelsie Harvey combined for six saves in the cage.

Cal State East Bay will return to action next weekend when it travels to Fresno Pacific for a rematch on Mar. 23 before heading to Bakersfield for the Roadrunner Invitational. The Pioneers are set to meet Cal State Bakersfield and Hartwick on Mar. 24 before taking on La Verne and Brown on Mar. 25. The Pioneers and Sunbirds will open the weekend in Fresno at 1 p.m. on Friday.