Scoresheet

HAYWARD, Calif. — The Pioneer water polo team was edged out by visiting Santa Clara, 9-8, in the team's WWPA opener at Pioneer Pool on Sunday. The Broncos (4-8, 2-2 WWPA) rallied from an 8-5 fourth quarter deficit and netted their ninth goal with less than a minute left to hand Cal State East Bay (3-7, 0-1 WWPA) the heartbreaking defeat. Sara Hudyn tallied yet another hat trick, leading all players with five goals in the game.

The teams played an extremely tight game throughout all four quarters this afternoon. Hudyn put the Pioneers on the board first with a goal two minutes in. The Broncos then answered back, scoring on a 6-on-5, then adding another goal to go up 2-1. East Bay came back and scored on consecutive possessions in the last two minutes, with Hudyn and Allison Zell both finding the back of the net. The Pioneers led 3-2 after one period.

That lead didn't last long, however, as Santa Clara scored a minute into the second quarter to tie things back up. The score remained the same for much of the period as the Pioneers withstood two ejections in the span of two minutes for Claire Pierce. Hudyn broke the drought with another goal to give East Bay a brief 4-3 lead, but the Broncos scored a minute later, and the teams went into halftime knotted up at 4-4.

The Pioneers were able to take a lead in what was an eventful third quarter. After neither team scored in the first four minutes despite three kick outs, East Bay broke out for three goals in the span of three minutes. The Broncos got on the board in the quarter thanks to Elizabeth Anderson's second goal, but Julia Charlesworth answered back, scoring for the Pioneers with 1:12 left in the third. The Pioneers headed into the final quarter leading 7-5.

Hudyn netted her fifth goal on East Bay's first possession of the period to make it 8-5, the biggest lead for the Pioneers in the game. Unfortunately, it was all Broncos from that point forward. Elle Surber scored a pair of goals to make it 8-7, then the Broncos tied the game with 2:40 remaining, taking advantage of a Simonne Call ejection. East Bay had three 6-on-5 opportunities in the fourth quarter, but they were unable to convert, allowing Santa Clara to net four straight goals to pull out the narrow victory.

Marrina Nation had an excellent game in net for the Pioneers despite the loss, totaling 12 saves. Hudyn scored in every quarter. Five goals today gives her 10 for the weekend and 41 for the season, which leads the conference by a substantial margin. Zell scored a pair of goals for East Bay, and Charlesworth netted one.

The Pioneers are back on the road, though they have only one game on their schedule this week. Fresno Pacific will host East Bay this Friday afternoon for a 1 p.m. showdown.