Game 1 Box | Game 2 Box

LA JOLLA, Calif. — The Cal State East Bay water polo team posted a 1-1 record Saturday against a pair of top-20 teams on the first day of the Triton Invitaional. After dropping their morning game to No. 2 USC (last year's NCAA national runner-up) by a 26-4 score, the Pioneers (2-4) roared back to beat No. 17 Hartwick 14-13 in the afternoon. Freshman Simonne Call scored with four seconds left to break a 13-13 tie and give the Pioneers the thrilling victory.

Game 1 -- #2 USC 26, CSUEB 4

In game one, the second-ranked Women of Troy opened by scoring less than a minute into the game. The Pioneers, however, answered right back with a goal from Claire Pierce just 20 seconds later to tie the game 1-1. USC responded by kicking off a scoring streak that would extend into the third quarter. During the eventual 15-goal streak, the Women of Troy not only got into an offensive groove, but also played stellar defense, fending off six Pioneer power play situations.

By the end of the first half, USC had taken a 13-1 advantage, thanks in part to a seven-goal second quarter that also saw no exclusions. After the break, the Women of Troy added another three straight goals to make it a 16-1 game before defending a player-advantage situation with five minutes remaining in the third. The Pioneers finally ended their near-19 minute scoring drought, thanks to a goal from Casey Rushforth that cut the lead to 16-2 with 4:37 left in the third quarter. 

Though USC regained a 16-goal lead with a score just 20 seconds later, Pierce struck again at the 2:39 mark to give East Bay its first two-goal quarter of the game and make it 17-3 in favor of the Women of Troy. Despite the Pioneer goals, USC remained unfazed, putting together another scoring streak to make it a 25-3 game with less than two minutes to play in the game. East Bay got one more goal back, this time from Sara Hudyn, before the Women of Troy finished off the scoring to post the 26-4 victory. 

Pierce finished the game with three goals, while both Hudyn and Rushforth added a goal apiece. In the cage, Marinna Nation and Mary Reardon combined to post 10 saves against the Women of Troy. USC was led by Monica Vavic's four goals, while both Emilie Myers, Olivia Cummins and Madeline Rosenthal posted three goals each.

Game 2 -- CSUEB 14, #17 Hartwick 13

Despite the high final score, both teams took some time to get going offensively in game two. Hartwick went up 1-0 three minutes into the game on Alison Kosich's lone goal of the afternoon. It took the Pioneers nearly six minutes of game time, but Pierce finally put East Bay on the board with a goal. The Hawks netted one a minute later and led 2-1 after the first quarter. 

The offensive floodgates opened in the second quarter, as the teams combined for 10 goals. Hartwick took a 5-2 lead midway through the period, but East Bay refused to lay down. Julia Charlesworth scored two straight goals in her first game back from injury. Pierce, Hudyn, and Allison Zell each found the cage in the last two minutes of the half to tie the game at 6-6, then Hartwick added a goal to take a 7-6 lead into halftime.

The teams traded goals into the third quarter. Kate McAfee scored to tie the game at 7-7, then added another strike later in the period to tie it up 9-9. Pierce scored to give the Pioneers their first lead with just over a minute remaining in the third, but the Hawks answered, tying things at 10-10 heading into the fourth.

The final period was a tight as contest as you'll find, with lots of scoring and trading of one-goal leads. In fact, neither school led by more than one point for the entire second half. Casey Rushforth hit the back of the net, her first goal of the tournament, to tie the score at 13-13 with 2:21 remaining. Both teams then had a chance to take the lead, but it took until the final possession. The Pioneers drew an ejection with 30 seconds left, giving them one last chance in regulation with a 6-on-5 advantage. East Bay waited for a good shot, and they finally got one with just four seconds on the game clock when freshman Simonne Call scored her second career goal to give the Pioneers the dramatic victory. 

"We played a well-controlled game," said head coach Lisa Cooper after the win. "It was very close for all four quarters, and our team was able to stick to the game plan under a lot of pressure."

Pierce and Hudyn each notched a hat trick in the game, scoring three goals apiece, while Charlesworth and McAfee each netted a pair of scores. Nation got the start in goal for East Bay and set a career high with 20 saves in the win. As a team, the Pioneers drew 11 Hartwick ejections and were called for just five themselves. 

"We did a better job stopping Hartwick's counter-attack than last week," added Cooper. "We had good passing and patience in our 6-on-5, and I'm so proud that we had multiple players step up on offense and take an active role."

The Pioneers will play their third game of the Triton Invitational Sunday morning at 10:40 a.m. against No. 11 Michigan. The Wolverines lost to Long Beach State, then defeated Santa Clara in today's action.