BOX SCORE (PDF)

Hayward, Calif. -- The Cal State East Bay water polo team was defeated in heartbreaking fashion Friday afternoon at Pioneer Pool by Fresno Pacific in the first designated Western Water Polo Association (WWPA) game of the season. 

The Sunbirds scored five unanswered goals over the final six minutes of the fourth quarter, the last of which came with three seconds left on the clock, to stun the Pioneers with a 12-11 comeback win.

It evens the season series between the two teams, as FPU gets revenge on East Bay's 12-11 overtime win back in January. It also breaks a streak of 18 straight head-to-head wins by the Pioneers over the Sunbirds dating back more than a decade.

Maci Taylor opened the scoring for CSUEB in the first, and Cheyenne Brady and Auriel Bill netted goals in the opening period as well. Brady scored her second in the second quarter, one of several goals for the Pioneers in which they were able to beat FPU in transition. Adrien Van Dyke got in the scoresheet with two goals a minute apart from each other to put East Bay ahead 6-3, but the visitors answered with a pair of goals before halftime to make it 6-5 at the break.

Van Dyke secured a hat trick with the first goal of the second half, and East Bay played an impressive period defensively. Bill made it 9-5 with her second goal with 2:30 left in the third and the Pioneers appeared poised to pull away. But the Sunbirds wouldn't go away, scoring twice more before the end of the quarter.

Van Dyke's fourth goal made it 11-7 with 7:34 left in the game, but unfortunately that was the last score for the Pioneers. FPU scored three quick goals, then tied it 11-11 with 1:14 remaining. They got the ball back with 39 seconds left and wound the clock down, then FPU's Katie Kisling drew a foul just before the shot clock expired, so the official re-started play with one second to shoot and five seconds left in regulation. She quickly fired one into the left corner of the cage for the game-winner.

The Pioneers are back in the tank Saturday to take on another conference foe as they welcome in Sonoma State for a 1:00 p.m. showdown at Pioneer Pool.