Game 1 Stats | Game 2 Stats
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The Pioneer water polo team finished off a 2-2 showing at the Bronco Invitational following a pair of losses to top-20 opponents on Sunday. Cal State East Bay (14-14, 2-5 WWPA) fell to No. 8 Hawaii by a score of 16-5 in their first game. They came back in the afternoon and played extremely well against No. 17 UC San Diego, ultimately losing 12-10 in their last regular season WWPA game.
“Overall this was a very good weekend for our team,” said head coach
Lisa Cooper. “It gives us a lot to build on for the upcoming CCAA and WWPA Championships.”
Game 1 – No. 8 Hawaii 16, CSUEB 5
The Warriors (15-9) are one of the top teams on East Bay's 2013 schedule, and they played like it early in today's game. Hawaii held the Pioneers scoreless in the first, jumping out to a 4-0 lead.
Sara Hudyn got East Bay on the board with a goal in the second, but the Hawaii offense racked up six more goals and took a 10-1 lead into halftime.
Claire Pierce was able to made her presence felt coming out of the break. The senior netted two goals in the third quarter, the first of which came with a 6-on-5 advantage. Pierce completed the hat trick as Pioneers scored two more goals in the fourth period, but it wasn't to cut into the Hawaii lead. The Warriors held on for the 16-5 victory.
Charlie Warburton scored the other goal for East Bay, which came on the Pioneers' first possession of the fourth quarter.
Kate McAfee led the team with three assists in the loss. Goalkeeper
Marrina Nation tallied six saves to go along with two steals.
Game 2 – No. 17 UCSD 12, CSUEB 10
The last game of the Bronco Invitational doubled as the seventh and final WWPA contest for the Pioneers. Although it ultimately didn't affect the standings, East Bay came in with something to prove, having never beaten UC San Diego (18-12, 6-0 WWPA) in five tries.
Pierce got the Pioneers on the board first, finding the back of the cage just 1:25 into the game. The teams ended up playing to a 3-3 tie after the first quarter, trading off goal for goal.
East Bay briefly grabbed a 5-4 lead in the second after scoring two goals in the first two minutes, but UCSD stormed back with four straight scores to close out the half with an 8-5 advantage.
The Tritons extended their lead in the third. They scored the first two goals of the period to go up 10-5, which was their biggest lead of the game.
Allison Zell answered with a goal, but Alexis Weiseler netted her team-high fourth goal of the game with just four seconds left in the quarter to make it 11-6.
The Pioneers showed some fight and refused to roll over in the fourth, however. East Bay clawed back, scoring the first three goals of the quarter to make it 11-9 with just over three minutes remaining. The Pioneer defense was excellent down the stretch, but they weren't able to get any closer. Pierce and Hudyn both scored twice in the final period, but it wasn't quite enough, and the Tritons held on for the 12-10 win.
Pierce and Hudyn each finished with four goals in the loss. Zell had a goal to go along with two steals.
Jennifer Lightbody also notched a goal for the Pioneers. McAfee paced the team in assists once again with three. Nation racked up seven saves and three steals in the cage.
On deck for East Bay is the CCAA Invitational Tournament, which will kick off next weekend in Fresno.
