Scoresheet: #25 CSUEB 7, Santa Clara 4
Scoresheet: #25 Cal State Northridge 8, #25 CSUEB 6

LA JOLLA, Calif. --  The No. 25 Cal State East Bay water polo team celebrated its first week in the national rankings by picking up its second win of the season against a Division I squad, as the Pioneers defeated Santa Clara 7-4 to open the second day of the Triton Invitational, hosted by UC San Diego at Canyonview Aquatic Center.

East Bay closed out the tournament with a narrow 8-6 loss to Division I Cal State Northridge in a battle of teams that entered the week tied for No. 25 in the national poll. 

#25 Cal State East Bay 7, Santa Clara 4

The Pioneers were able to get payback on the Broncos after SCU bested East Bay 14-10 at Pioneer Pool on Feb. 6.

After the Broncos took an early lead, Tori Dettloff scored the first of her two goals in the game on a 6-on-5 with 55 seconds left in the first quarter to tie the game at 1-1. Casey Rushforth then put the Pioneers ahead with a goal to start the second period, and Dettloff followed that up with her second score. The Pioneers carried a narrow 3-2 lead into halftime.

East Bay took control of the game in the third quarter. Jenn Lightbody scored at 7:04, then the Pioneers earned a Bronco exclusion, and Rushforth cashed in on the advantage with her second goal. Lighbody found the back of the cage again in the final minute of the period to give CSUEB a 6-2 lead heading into the fourth.

Dettloff opened the scoring in the fourth quarter with a 6-on-5 goal to add even more insurance for the Pioneers. Santa Clara added a pair of goals in the final minutes, but it wasn't enough to mount a serious comeback.

Dettloff finished with a hat trick, and Rushforth filled up the scoresheet with two goals, two assists, and two steals. Taylor Cross drew four exclusions to lead the team.

Nikki Vaughan played an outstanding game in the cage, notching the victory with nine saves and a steal.

#25 Cal State Northridge 8,  #25 Cal State East Bay 6:

Playing their fifth match in three days, the Pioneers jumped out to a 3-1 lead over the Matadors in the first quarter. Brandi Carroll converted a 5-meter penalty to get things started, then Sabrina Hatzer and Cross each scored for the Pioneers in the opening period.

Rocio Fesembeck scored the only goal of the second quarter, 39 seconds in, to make it 4-1 Pioneers, and that was the score heading into halftime. 

Northridge answered back quickly coming out of the break. They took advanatge of an East Bay ejection for a 6-on-5 goal, then the Matadors tied the game 4-4 with their third goal of the period at 1:26.

Carroll gave East Bay the lead back briefly at 1:06 when she scored her second 5-meter penalty shot of the afternoon. However, Olivia Mackell was excluded on the next possession, and CSUN converted the power play to make the score 5-5 after three quarters.

Cross scored for the Pioneers on a 6-on-5 in the fourth quarter, but that was the only goal they managed in the period. The score was tied 6-6 entering the final minutes, but the Matadors scored at 3:08 to take the lead for good. 

Cross and Carroll scored two goals apiece in the tournament finale. Rushforth and Lightbody led the way with three steals each. Vaughan racked up 11 saves and a steal in the cage, but suffered a hard-luck defeat. 

Cal State East Bay rerurns to the Bay Area for a pair of games next week, starting with a visit to conference-rival Sonoma State on Friday, Feb. 19 at 2 p.m. The Pioneers return home to host Fresno Pacific the following day during Homecoming Weekend 2016.