Score Sheet

HAYWARD, Calif. -- The Cal State East Bay water polo team fell just short of a Western Water Polo Association (WWPA) championship on Sunday, dropping a hard-fought title game to top seed and No. 12 ranked UC San Diego by a score of 9-5.

The Pioneers finish the 2016 season with a record of 16-11, marking the 13th time in 14 seasons they've had a .500 record or better under head coach Lisa Cooper. The team finished as WWPA runners-up to UCSD for the third straight season.  

Sabrina Hatzer led the Pioneers on Sunday with three goals, and fellow senior Tori Dettloff netted two. Junior goalkeeper Nikki Vaughan was outstanding in the cage, making 10 saves against the Tritons. 

Hatzer led all players with 10 goals and 13 points at the WWPA Championships and was named to the All-Tournament First Team. Vaughan was also a First Team All-Tournament selection after racking up 27 saves in the three games. Senior Taylor Cross, who finished her career sixth in program history with 132 goals, garnered Second Team All-Tournament honors.

Hatzer netted the first goal of the game, converting a five-meter penalty shot to get the Pioneers on the scoreboard. Dettloff found the back of the cage on an impressive shot off with assist from Casey Rushforth in the final minute of the quester to put East Bay up 2-0 after the first.

UCSD quickly answered back with three straight goals in the second period before Dettloff netter her second of the day to even the score at 3-3. 

San Diego's Lani Tittle notched her second goal of the quarter with 27 seconds left before halftime to send the Tritons to intermission with a narrow 4-3 advantage. 

UCSD goalkeeper Courtney Miller, who was named WWPA Tournament MVP, held the Pioneers scoreless in the third, while the Tritons scored twice more to extend their lead to 6-3. 

But East Bay refused to roll over in the final period. Hatzer scored off Rushforth's second assist of the day on the first possession of the fourth, then netted another goal with an assist from Cross to make it 7-5 with five minutes remaining. 

Rushforth led all players in the tournament with eight assists, giving her 125 for her career, which passes fellow Australian Claire Pierce for second-most in program history. She also has two of the top 10 single-season assist totals in school history, posting 46 this year and 45 as a junior.

The Pioneers had a couple 6-on-5 chances in the final minutes, but Miller made several outstanding saves to protect UCSD's lead. The Tritons then tacked on a pair of goals to secure the victory. UC San Diego ended up scoring six of their nine goals on 6-on-5 opportunities. 

Junior Olivia Mackell led East Bay with four drawn exclusions and sophomore drew three, but the Pioneers converted just 2 of their 10 chances in 6-on-5 situations.

The Pioneers routed Gannon 16-8 in the first round on Friday, then reached the championship game for the third straight season with a thrilling 12-9 overtime victory over Sonoma State in Saturday's semifinal. 

This marks the final career game for CSUEB's outstanding senior class: Cross, Dettloff, Hatzer, Rushforth, Simonne Call, Jenn Lightbody, and Nayiri Kechichian. All seven of them made major contributions for the Pioneers this season and throughout their careers, helping East Bay qualify for three straight WWPA Championship games.