Game 1 Stats | Game 2 Stats

LOS ANGELES — For the second straight day, the Pioneer water polo team split a pair of games at the LMU Invitational to finish the tournament at 2-2. Cal State East Bay (11-10) edged out Whittier in the first game of the day by a score of 6-5. Later this afternoon, they dropped a close contest, 12-7, to No. 11 Princeton. It was the seventh game the Pioneers have played against a top-20 opponent this season.

Game 1 – CSUEB 6, Whittier 5

The Pioneers and Poets (9-15) met for the second time this year (East Bay defeated Whittier 8-4 earlier in the month), and once again it was a tight, low-scoring game. The Poets grabbed an early 3-2 lead after one quarter, thanks to pair of goals by Jae Crabtree.

East Bay came back and took a narrow lead heading into halftime, as Claire Pierce, Sara Hudyn, and Allison Zell all scored once in the period. Goalkeeper Marrina Nation made three saves in the second, sending the Pioneers into recess up 5-4.

The second half was a defensive battle, with each team scoring just once the rest of the game. Laura Pinkley converted a 6-on-5 to tie the game at 5-5 with 3:24 to go in the third, and the score would stay that way into the fourth.

Zell found the back of the cage for East Bay with 5:38 remaining in the game to put the Pioneers back on top. It would prove to be the game-winner, as the Poets had two chances at 6-on-5's in the final four minutes, but the Pioneers locked down on defense and held Whittier scoreless the entire fourth quarter.

Nation allowed just two total goals in the final three quarters to help East Bay secure the victory. She finished with six saves in the game. Zell and Hudyn each notched two goals to lead the Pioneers, while Pierce and Charlie Warburton netted one apiece.

Game 2 – No. 11 Princeton 12, CSUEB 7

The Pioneers and Tigers (17-4) matched up for the first time ever on Saturday afternoon. East Bay kept the game fairly tight, but 11th-ranked Princeton used an 8-1 run during the second and third quarters to pull away for good.

The Pioneers jumped out of the gate strong, out-scoring the Tigers 4-2 in the first period. Kate McAfee notched the first Pioneer goal, then Pierce scored three straight. The senior Aussie already had a hat trick with 37 second left in the first.

Pierce netted another goal in the second quarter, but the Princeton offense exploded for five scores to grab a narrow 7-5 lead going into halftime. The Tigers notched three more goals in the third, while their defense held East Bay scoreless.

Hudyn found the back on the cage on the Pioneers' first possession of the fourth quarter, drawing them within four at 10-6. However, the Tigers answered back with two more scores to put the game out of reach.

Pierce led all scorers with four goals, all of which came in the first half. McAfee and Julia Charlesworth posted one goal each. Hudyn also had one score, giving her 12 goals for the four-game tournament. Mary Reardon made seven saves as the East Bay goalkeeper. The Pioneers ended up going 0-for-5 on their 6-on-5 opportunities.

East Bay's next game is a week from today, a huge WWPA showdown against Cal State Monterey Bay as part of a road doubleheader. The team will travel to Seaside to battle the Otters at 10 a.m. followed by Concordia at 1:30 p.m.