Box Score (PDF)

HAYWARD, Calif. -- Despite a slow start, the Cal State East Bay water polo team posted its highest scoring output of the season on Friday afternoon, pulling away in the fourth quarter for a 19-13 win over visiting Fresno Pacific at Pioneer Pool.

CSUEB continues its late-season hot streak and has now won eight of its last nine games to improve to 15-8 for the season. As a program, the Pioneers picked up their 17th straight win over FPU dating back to 2007. 

Maci Taylor scored the first goal of the game to put the Pioneers ahead briefly, and Briana Ruiz scored the first of her three goals midway through the opening period. But East Bay was a bit sloppy in the first, committing several turnovers that led to counter-attack opportunities for the Sunbirds. The visitors took advantage and grabbed a 6-2 lead after one quarter.

The Pioneers righted the ship after that, however, as leading scorer Adrien Van Dyke came out aggressively to start the second quarter. She scored four straight goals over the course of five minutes, single-handedly bringing the Pioneers back in the game.

Following an FPU exclusion, Ivanna Anderson converted a power play goal to put East Bay ahead, and then Cheyenne Pena made it 8-6 a minute later with her first of the day. The Sunbirds answered back in the final minute of the half, giving CSUEB a one-goal advantage at halftime.

Fresno Pacific scored twice coming out of the break to re-take the lead, but that seemed to awaken the Pioneers. They erupted for six goals in the latter half of the third period, as Auriel Bill and Beverly Ayers got into the scoresheet, Taylor netted her second of that day, Ruiz found the back of the cage twice more to secure a hat trick, and Van Dyke picked up her fifth of the afternoon.

When the dust settled at the end of the period, CSUEB led 14-10, and they never looked back. Pena and Bill both scored for the second time in the contest to open the fourth quarter, putting the Pioneers up six. They cruised to victory after that, extending their lead in the final minutes as Gina Sorensen and Gabriella Garcia got in on the fun with a goal apiece, and Van Dyke scored her team-high sixth.

It's the second straight six-goal game for the freshman, who has taken over the lead as the top scorer in the Western Water Polo Association (WWPA) with 47 goals for the season. 

Van Dyke and Bill led the way with four assists each in the win. The latter tops all WWPA players in that category with 45 total assists, giving her a conference-best 86 points.

The Pioneers will look to end the regular season on a high note Friday when they host rival Sonoma State in a crucial finale. The designated WWPA game between CSUEB and SSU is set for a 1:00 p.m. start and will be preceded by the annual "Senior Day" ceremony to honor the four members of East Bay's 2018 senior class.