Game 1 Stats | Game 2 Stats

FRESNO, Calif. — The Pioneer water polo team had one of its best days of the season, notching a pair of decisive victories on the first day of the CCAA Invitational to earn a berth in Sunday's championship game. Third-seeded Cal State East Bay (16-14) routed sixth-seeded Cal State San Bernardino 19-7 in the first round. The team then picked up an 8-3 win over Sonoma State in the semi-final game, evening the season series with the Seawolves at 2-2 in the process.

“I'm so excited to make it to the championship game,” said head coach Lisa Cooper. “Our defense today was amazing. We are playing our best water polo of the season right now.”

First Round – CSUEB 19, CSUSB 7

The Pioneers were firing on all cylinders in the first half Saturday morning. Claire Pierce, Sara Hudyn, and Allison Zell scored two goals apiece in the first quarter, and East Bay took an early 7-3 lead.

After 10 goals in the first quarter, the teams combined for 11 in the second. Pierce and Hudyn each recorded hat tricks in the second quarter alone, as the Pioneers pulled away to a 14-3 lead before starting to ease off the gas petal a bit. They went into recess with a 15-6 advantage, with Pierce scoring all five of her goals in the first half.

The team traded scores in a defense-heavy third quarter. Hudyn notched her game-high sixth goal of the contest to give the Pioneers a 16-7 lead heading the fourth. Kate McAfee score twice in the final period, making her the third Pioneer to record a hat trick in the game. Goalkeeper Marrina Nation held the Coyotes to just one goal in the second half in the 19-7 win. The sophomore tallied 13 saves.

Julia Charlesworth, Nicole Meyer, and Hollie Mickelson each scored one goal for East Bay.

Semi-Finals – CSUEB 8, Sonoma State 3

The Pioneers played perhaps their best defensive game of the year in the second game against the Seawolves. The teams swam to a rare scoreless tie in the first quarter, with Nation making three saves and SSU goalkeeper Ariel Lockshaw stopped two.

The Pioneer offense exploded for five goals in the second quarter, however. Pierce scored the first two goals of the game and tacked on another just before halftime, and East Bay went into the break up 5-1.

Pierce netted another one early in the third quarter, and the Pioneer defense remained stout. Nation and company refused to allow the Seawolves to rally, again limiting them to just one goal in the period.

East Bay finished off the victory impressively, outscoring Sonoma State 2-1 in the final quarter. For the game, the Seawolves picked up two goals on penalty shots and another with a 6-on-5 advantage. Other than that, they couldn't get anything past Nation, who played another outstanding game, finishing with 12 saves.

Pierce led all players with five goals in the victory. Charlesworth, Zell, and Charlie Warburton netted one goal each.

“To hold a very good Sonoma team to three goals is awesome,” added Cooper. “Marrina had a great game in the cage and was stopping everything they were throwing at her. I thought our defensive communication was great, especially on 5-on-6.”

The Pioneers will compete in the championship game of the first annual CCAA Invitational at 3 p.m. on Sunday. They'll take on No. 17 UC Diego in hopes of notching the first win in program history over the Tritons.