Box Score

GENEVA, Ohio -- The Cal State East Bay water polo team closed the 2017 season on a high note Sunday morning, defeating Cal State Monterey Bay by a final score of 16-7 in the third-place game of the Western Water Polo Association (WWPA) Championships at SPIRE Institute.

Unlike CSUEB's last several games, which were all extremely tight, Sunday's victory was never in major jeopardy. Auriel Bill got things started, scoring on a five-meter penalty shot just 30 seconds into the game. Less than a minute later, Monterey Bay converted a penalty shot of their own to tie the score. Alicia Tully and Brandi Carroll both found the back of the cage in the first period as well, putting the Pioneers up 3-2, and then never trailed after that.

They started to pull away in the second quarter, scoring five goals to take an 8-3 lead into halftime. Tully scored three times in the period, Bill notched her second goal of the half, and Leilani Vazquez scored on the final possession before the break to put all the momentum on the Pioneer bench.

The Otters rallied back to score three goals in the third, however, and the Pioneers went into the final quarter leading just 9-6. But after scoring just once in the third period, they broke out with seven goals in the fourth to quell any hopes of a CSUMB comeback. 

Carroll scored four times in the quarter to finish with five in the game and eight for the tournament, a team high. Nicole Williams found the back of the cage twice in the final eight minutes, and Bill scored one more time to secure a hat trick in the season finale. 

Williams and Katelyn Clark paced the Pioneers with three assists each. Goalkeeper Nikki Vaughan tallied nine saves and two steals to notch the win. Makenna Nation made three saves as well, playing the final five minutes of the game in the cage.

The Pioneers finish the season with an even 13-13 record after sweeping the season series against the rival Otters. Top-seeded UC San Diego defeated Sonoma State in the championship game to claim its fifth straight WWPA title and automatic berth to the NCAA tournament.

Following Sunday's championship game, the WWPA All-Tournament Teams were announced, with the Pioneers garnering three honorees. Seniors Carroll and Vaughan were named First Team All-Tournament, while Tully earned a Second Team nod.