HAYWARD, Calif. -- After nearly a month between home games, the Cal State East Bay water polo team returns to Pioneer Pool this weekend to host Fresno Pacific on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m.

This will be the third matchup of the young season between the Pioneers and Sunbirds, who will become a conference foe next year when they join the Western Water Polo Association (WWPA) in 2018.

The first two contests were tight, but the Pioneers came out of the winnings end of both. They held off FPU's late rally to win 12-9 in the season opener on Jan. 21 in Fresno. The teams met again on Feb. 4 at Santa Clara University, and the Pioneers pulled out one of their most dramatic victories in years. They trailed 9-6 after the Sunbirds scored with 6:23 left in the game, but then orchestrated a furious comeback in the final minutes. Auriel Bill scored three goals in the last three minutes, including the game-winner with 47 seconds left, to complete the comeback and secure a 10-9 win.

Cal State East Bay has now won 14 straight games against Fresno Pacific over the last 10 seasons, but if the first two matches of 2017 are any indication, Saturday's contest will be another close one.

Fresno Pacific has already battled two other WWPA schools this year, dropping tight games to Sonoma State (10-8) and Cal State Monterey Bay (12-11). Their lone win of the Spring came last Saturday when they topped Concordia-Irvine 14-6 at home. Offensively, Amer Penny leads the Sunbirds with 15 goals in five games. Emily Knowles is second on the team with 10 goals and has scored multiple times in both games against the Pioneers.

The Pioneers are coming off their annual trip to La Jolla for the UC San Diego Triton Invitational, as seeded tournament that usually pits them against a few of the top teams in the nation. This year was no exception, as CSUEB fell to No. 8 UC Irvine and No. 20 Loyola Marymount on Friday. 

The following day, they drew WWPA rival Sonoma State in the third round and squeaked out a narrow 8-6 win over the Seawolves. Senior goalkeeper Nikki Vaughan turned in an outstanding performance, racking up 12 saves in the victory. The Pioneers closed out last weekend with a tough 9-7 loss to No. 23 Marist. Rocio Fesembeck notched four goals and Vaughan tallied 15 more saves, but the Pioneers couldn't quite pull off the upset.

Bill, the freshman from Canada, has been an outstanding addition to replace a 2016 senior class that featured four All-Conference players. In eight games this season, Bill leads the Pioneers in goals (11), assists (8), points (19), and steals (9). Fesembeck has 10 goals to go along with a team-high 17 drawn ejections. Newcomer Leilani Vazquez is third on the team with eight goals so far.

East Bay is receiving votes on this week's Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches national top-25 poll. This season they have a 3-1 record against teams ranked outside the top 25.