Box Score:
SDSU 13, CSEB 4 - F
Box Score:
CSEB 6, CU 5 - F
Box Score:
CSEB 11, CC 5 - F
ORANGE, Calif. – Cal State East Bay women's water polo won the final two games of its Saturday tripleheader at the Allred Aquatics Center on the campus of Chapman University. The Pioneers held host Chapman and Connecticut College to just five goals each in the final two games of the day.
#20 San Diego State 13, Cal State East Bay 4 – F
San Diego State outscored Cal State East Bay 3-1 over each of the first three quarters en route to the victory. Ioli Benekou scored two first quarter goals on her way to a game-high five scores.
Allison Zell scored the Pioneers opening goal and
Casey Rushforth completed a counterattack early in the second quarter pulling Cal State East Bay to within a 3-2 margin.
Sara Hudyn scored a pair of second half goals on skip shots from long range to lead the East Bay offense.
Hudyn's second goal came courtesy of a 6-on-5, the Pioneers lone player advantage goal as they went 1-for-7 in the game including a blocked penalty shot. The Aztecs enjoyed a 5-for-7 effort in player advantage chances.
Cal State East Bay goalkeeper
Marrina Nation made seven saves in the loss.
Cal State East Bay 6, Chapman 5 – F
The host Panthers took a 3-0 lead less than four minutes into the game forcing a timeout from East Bay Head Coach
Lisa Cooper. From that point on the Pioneer defense held Chapman to just two goals, one on a 6-on-5 and the other a penalty shot over the final 28 minutes of regulation.
Taylor Cross led Cal State East Bay with three goals including the fourth quarter game-winner with 5:01 left in regulation. It was the lone goal of the final frame as teammate
Julia Charlesworth found the driving Cross to give the Pioneers their first and only lead of the game.
Chapman missed out several premium scoring chances including a first quarter penalty shot, and a 1-on-1 chance in its final possession to force overtime. EB's Nation came up with her 12th save of the game in the final minute to preserve the lead and hold on for the victory.
Hudyn scored twice and Michelle Thornbury netted a second quarter goal to round out the Pioneers offense. Chapman's Emily Holmquist, Kate Avery, and Emily Fong each scored first quarter goals to build an early three-goal lead for the home side.
Cal State East Bay 11, Connecticut College 5 – F
Cross, Hudyn, and Rushforth scored on three straight goals to break a 2-2 second quarter tie and never looked back. Hudyn and Cross combined for seven of the team's 11 goals against the Camels and 12 of the team's 17 goals over the final two games.
Zell scored twice during another 4-0 scoring run that gave the Pioneers their largest lead of the game in the final minutes of regulation. Ka'iliponi McGee capped off the scoring with a late fourth quarter goal.
Goalkeeper
Marrina Nation made 12 saves against Connecticut and finished with 31 saves on the day. Defensively the Pioneers held the Camels to just 2-for-9 in player advantage chances and stopped a first quarter 6-on-4 chance when leading by only one goal.
Nicky Jasbon led Connecticut with three goals. Kate Jacobson and Kelsey Millward each scored second quarter goals in the loss.
Cal State East Bay (11-10) will take on Cal State San Bernardino and La Verne on Sunday, March 23. Both games will be played at the University of Redlands starting at 10 a.m.
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