Game #3 Stats | Game #4 Stats

LA JOLLA, Calif. — The Cal State East Bay water polo team was edged out in a pair of tight games on day two of the Triton Invitational Sunday. The previous day's victory over No. 17 Hartwick earned the Pioneers a date with 11th-ranked Michigan in the morning. East Bay lost a well-played game to the Wolverines, 15-12, matching them up with Cal State Bakersfield in the finale. The Roadrunners edged out the Pioneers by the score of 10-8, sending the red and black home with a 1-3 record against an impressive Triton Invitational field. They've now played five games this season against top-20 teams.

Game 3 — #11 Michigan 15, CSUEB 12

The Pioneers were in the pool at 10:40 a.m. to take on No. 11 Michigan, the third nationally ranked opponent for East Bay in three games at the tournament. The teams swam to a 3-3 tie in the first quarter, with Claire Pierce, Sara Hudyn, and Allison Zell each notching goals for East Bay. It stayed tied into the second period, but the Wolverines netted the final two goals of the half to take a 6-4 lead into the break.

The Pioneers kept the game tight as the teams traded goals through most of the third quarter. Hudyn's third goal of the game made it 8-7 Wolverines with just under four minutes to go, but that was as close as the Pioneers would get. They   started to slip when Pierce and Kate McAfee both received their third ejections. Michigan responded with a scoring run, posting three straight goals in the last two minutes of the third quarter, and then two more in the first two minutes of the fourth. Hudyn scored three more times as the Pioneers refused to lay down, but they ultimately fell 15-12.

Marrina Nation racked up 15 saves in goal for East Bay. Hudyn finished with six goals in the game, matching her season high. Pierce added two scores before her day ended prematurely. Zell, Julia Charlesworth , and Jennifer Lightbody each tallied one goal, as well. The Pioneers scored five times in 12 chances with a 6-on-5 advantage, while holding the Wolverines to just two goals in 13 opportunities.

Game 4 — CSU Bakersfield 10, CSUEB 8

Hoping to earn a 1-1 record for the second straight day, the Pioneers returned to action at 4 p.m. against familiar foe Cal State Bakersfield. The Roadrunners jumped out to a 3-1 lead in the first five minutes as Janelle Shelby scored the first of her four goals. The Pioneers answered, however, with Hudyn scoring at the end of the first quarter and the beginning of the second to tie it at 3-3. The teams each scored twice in the second period and went to halftime with Bakersfield leading 5-4.

The Roadrunners grabbed the momentum to start the third quarter, extending their lead to 6-4 on their first possession. Although the Pioneers drew four ejections in the period, Bakersfield out-scored them 3-1 to take a three-goal lead – their biggest of the game – into the fourth quarter.

East Bay netted three more goals in the final frame. Hudyn, who scored in all four quarters, found the cage to make it 9-7 Roadrunners with 3:20 remaining. The Pioneers had a couple chances to cut the lead to one, however Amanda Nesbit's goal with 1:56 left pretty much put the game out of reach. Simonne Call scored with a minute to go, but the Pioneers ran out of time in the 10-8 defeat.

Nation picked up 10 saves as East Bay's net-minder. Hudyn recorded yet another hat trick, totaling four goals in the tournament's final game. The junior 2M racked up 14 goals in the four games this weekend to lead the team. Zell, Call, McAfee, and freshman Casey Rushforth netted one goal apiece for the Pioneers.

“Overall it was a good weekend against some very tough Division I teams,” said head coach Lisa Cooper after the tournament. “We learned a lot about what we need to focus on in practice these coming weeks as we get ready for some big WWPA and CCAA games.”

East Bay returns home to Hayward for a pair of games at Pioneer Pool next weekend. They'll host Cal State Monterey Bay at noon on Saturday, followed by their first official WWPA contest against Santa Clara at the same time on Sunday.