Box Score

HAYWARD, Calif. -- For the third time this season on Saturday, the Cal State East Bay water polo team secured a narrow victory over Fresno Pacific, and for the second straight meeting between the two teams, the Pioneers pulled it off with a fourth quarter rally.

East Bay (4-5) defeated the visiting Sunbirds (1-5) by a final score of 11-9 on a chilly afternoon at Pioneer Pool. Three of CSUEB's victories in the young season have now come over FPU. Overall, the Pioneers have prevailed in 15 straight meetings over the last 10 years.

The Pioneers got off to a hot start with goals by Auriel Bill and Olivia Mackell in the first minute of the game to make it 2-0. The Sunbirds got on the scoreboard on their next possession, but Rocio Fesembeck found the back of the cage two minutes later, giving East Bay a 3-1 lead after one quarter.

The teams traded goals in the second period, as Leilani Vazquez scored twice and Brandi Carroll netted the first of her three goals. At halftime, the Pioneers maintained their two-goal lead.

FPU grabbed the momentum to start the second half. The Sunbirds scored four seconds into the third period, then again two possessions later to tie the game at 6-6. After Bill picked up her second goal, FPU scored again to knot up the score. With 2:30 left in the third, Vazquez notched her hat trick to give the Pioneers an 8-7 lead. But East Bay was whistled for five-meter penalties twice within the span of a minute, and FPU's Amber Penney converted both penalty shots to give the visitors their first lead. Penney scored three of her game-high five goals in the third quarter, which ended with Fresno Pacific leading by one.

The home team managed to flip the script, however, and the final period was all Pioneers. Carroll scored 45 seconds into the quarter to even the score at 9-9. It stayed that way for several minutes, when Carroll again found the back of the cage for her third goal of the game. Katelyn Clark tacked on an insurance goal with 1:21 left, and the Pioneers escaped with another dramatic win.

Once again, goalkeeper Nikki Vaughan was tremendous when it counted most. She tallied nine saves and four steals in the victory, and she held the Sunbirds scoreless throughout the entire fourth quarter as the Pioneers pulled off the comeback.

Next up, East Bay travels south to play five games in three days at the annual Tina Finali Invitational, hosted by Cal Lutheran.