HAYWARD, Calif. -- After more than a month spent competing on the road, the Cal State East Bay water polo team returns home to host a pair of matches in Pioneer Pool. CSUEB takes on conference rival Cal State Monterey Bay on Saturday at 1 p.m., then returns to the water Tuesday evening, Mar. 12, for a twilight showdown with George Washington at 5 p.m.

The Pioneers are coming off solid performances at each of their last two tournaments. Most recently they traveled to snowy Indiana and posted a 2-2 record at the Hoosier Classic, defeating fellow WWPA schools Mercyhurst and Salem, and falling to a pair of nationally ranked squads in Cal State Northridge and Indiana. 

Both losses were hard-fought battles that came down to the final minute, as the Pioneers fell to No. 20 ranked CSUN by a score of 8-6, and were bested by No. 24 Indiana by a final of 11-9. 

Junior Auriel Bill led CSUEB with eight goals and eight assists for the tournament, capped off by a four-goal effort in the tournament finale against Mercyhurst. The reigning Western Water Polo Association (WWPA) Player of the Year currently leads the conference in assists at approximately the midway point of the season.

Sophomore Adrien Van Dyke totaled seven goals and six assists on the road trip, highlighted by a hat trick in the loss to CSUN. Newcomer Payton Bosque notched five goals overall, three of which came against Salem. Junior Briana Ruiz also secured a hat trick in the win over Salem, her first of the season.

The Pioneers have played just one home game this season, a thrilling 12-11 victory over Santa Clara back on Feb. 2. The team's next opponent is a familiar one against whom the Pioneers have had recent success. They have gone 3-0 against the Otters each of the last two seasons and have won nine straight head-to-head dating back to 2015. Conversely, East Bay has only played George Washington two in program history. Their most recent meeting was in 2011, an 18-9 victory for the Pioneers.

This year, CSUMB is off to a solid start with win over Fresno Pacific and Iona. They are coming off a 4-0 weekend in Claremont, defeating four straight Division III teams. Morgan Tucker leads the Otters with 33 goals this season, and Marisa Lovos has tallied 26 goals and a team-high 17 assists.

GWU has only played six games so far this year, mostly recently posting a 2-2 record two weeks ago at Marist's Tournament. Alana Ponce is the team's top scorer with 23 goals, while Jaleh Moaddeli has 12 goals and a team-best seven assists.