Score sheet

ROHNERT PARK, Calif. --- The Pioneer water polo team fell on the road to Sonoma State on Friday atfernoon by the score of 13-8. Cal State East Bay (9-8) falls to 0-2 in their WWPA games, making the final five all the more crucial. This is the Seawolves' second straight victory over CSUEB, and it marks the end of the Pioneers' six-game winning streak, their longest since 2010.

East Bay actually jumped out to a lead in this game. Claire Pierce and Sara Hudyn each scored twice in the first quarter, putting the Pioneers up 4-2 after the first eight minutes. The teams traded goals in the second period, but East Bay was able to hang on to a narrow advantage and went into halftime up 7-6. 

It was all Seawolves late in the game, however. Pierce was called for her third kick out in the third quarter, excluding her from the rest of the game. The senior finished with three goals, second on the team. But with their best player gone, the Pioneers began to struggle on both ends. They didn't net a goal in the period, while the Seawolves scored twice at the end of the third to go up 8-7. East Bay wasn't able to mount a comeback in the fourth as Sonoma State tacked on several insurance goals late in the period to pull away for the 13-8 win. 

Hudyn, the WWPA's leading scorer, led all players with four goals this afternoon. Simonne Call scored the other Pioneer goal, finding the back of the cage with 2:43 left in the second quarter. Marrina Nation played the entire game in goal for East Bay and recorded five saves.

Noelle Herrera and Jessica Stansfield each recorded hat tricks for Sonoma State, which moves to 2-3 in WWPA play.

With little more margin for error, the Pioneers have perhaps their most important road trip of the season on deck. Next week, they'll travel to Los Angeles to compete in the annual LMU Invitational, starting on Friday. Their first two games of the tournament, against Cal State San Bernardino and the host Loyola Marymount, will count towards their conference record.