CSUB ROADRUNNER INVITATIONAL RESULTS
Game 1: #12 San Diego State 15, CSUEB  4
Game 2: #22 CSU Bakersfield 9, CSUEB 5
Game 3: #6 Arizona State 12, CSUEB 5
Game 4: #11 Princeton 11, CSUEB 8

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- The Cal State East Bay water polo team turned in a tremendous effort this weekend at its toughest tournament of the season, the Roadrunner Invitational hosed by CSU Bakersfield.

The Pioneers (9-10) took on four nationally ranked Division I teams over the past two days, and although they suffered four losses, they hung tough against extremely talented opposition. That was particularly true on Sunday, when East Bay played well against two of the nation's top teams, Arizona State and Princeton, which boast a combined record of 31-5 this season.

CSUEB opened the tournament Saturday morning against the 12th-ranked Aztecs. SDSU led just 3-2 after the first quarter, but pulled away after that, out-scoring the Pioneers 12-2 over the final three periods. Nicole Williams and Auriel Bill each scored two goals in the opening game.

The Pioneers then took on the host Roadrunners late on Saturday afternoon in a matchup of teams that have played several tight battles over the last few years. Once again East Bay trailed just 3-2 after one quarter, but they managed just one goal over the next two periods as Bakersfield stretched its lead to 8-3. 

Bill had two more goals, and Leilani Vazquez also found the back of the cage twice against the Roadrunners. Nikki Vaughan tallied six saves and turned in a strong effort to keep the Pioneers in the game despite a high number of turnovers.

East Bay was back in the pool early Sunday morning for a 9 a.m. contest with the No. 6 ranked team in the NCAA, Arizona State. The Sun Devils jumped out to a 5-1 lead after the first quarter and their lead was never really in jeopardy after that, but the Pioneers did well to keep it from becoming a blowout. Vaughan added six more saves, and she and the CSUEB defense held ASU to just two goals each in the third and fourth periods.

Bill scored twice more in the 12-5 loss, giving her three straight multi-goal games to start the tournament. Vazquez and Williams also found the back of the net, and Olivia Mackell notched her first score of the weekend.

The Pioneers played their best game of the tournament in the finale against Princeton, which has just one loss on the season and employs the starting goalkeeper for the USA National team. Although they couldn't muster much offense early, East Bay held the 11th-ranked Tigers to just two goals in each of the first two periods, and the Pioneers trailed just 4-1 at halftime. 

Princeton extended its advantage to 8-2 heading into the fourth, but the Pioneers finished with a flurry on offense. They netted six goals in the final eight minutes and nearly got within range of tying the game, ultimately falling 11-8. Vaughan racked up 10 saves in the narrow loss. Six different Pioneers scored, led by Vazquez and Alicia Tully with two goals each. 

CSUEB will return to the Bay Area to prepare for the most crucial part of its schedule upcoming. The team's next five games are against conference opponents, starting with a WWPA contest at Cal State Monterey Bay on Friday, Mar. 24.