Box Score (PDF)

GENEVA, Ohio -- The Cal State East Bay water polo team escaped with a thrilling 6-5 victory over Salem University Friday morning in the first round of 2019 Western Water Polo Association (WWPA) Championships. 

The No. 3 seed Pioneers never trailed the No. 6 seed Tigers in the low-scoring matchup, but they had to make several defensive stands in the final minutes to preserve their victory and advance to Saturday's semifinals. 

The Pioneers grabbed a lead over Salem almost immediately, as Adrien Van Dyke scored less than a minute into the opening period. The teams then played scoreless water polo for more than five minutes until WWPA Co-Player of the Year Auriel Bill converted a powerplay to make it 2-0. 

The next time time down the tank, Van Dyke was whistled for an exclusion, which led to Salem's first goal of the day with seven seconds left in the quarter. Van Dyke also exited the pool illegally following her exclusion, which resulted in a game disqualification.

The Pioneers had to play the final three quarters without one of their best offensive players, but fortunately their defense was up to the task. Goalkeeper Daniela Passoni held the Tigers scoreless during the second quarter, and Brooke Hodgkinson netted a goal with 20 seconds left before halftime to put East Bay ahead 3-1.

There was a flurry of scoring in the third period, relatively speaking. After no goals for more than four minutes, the Tigers found the back of the cage on back-to-back possessions to tie the game. The Pioneers answered right back 20 seconds later on an impressive strike from Maeve Flynn, but then with 1:36 left in the quarter, Salem managed to get a good look in front of the cage and converted to even the score at 4-4. 

The Pioneers failed to cash in on a power play with less than a minute left, but then they got the ball back with time for one more possession before the end of the period. Briana Ruiz beat the keeper with her first goal to re-take the lead just before the buzzer.

Senior Makenna Nation took over in the cage to start the fourth quarter. She gave up a goal early in the period as the Tigers once again tied the score, but she captained the CSUEB defense to a shutout the rest of the way, including some high-pressure stops. 

With five minutes left to play, Payton Bosque became the sixth different Pioneer to score a goal, putting East Bay back ahead by one. As the clocked ticked inside two minutes, the Pioneers got a breakaway following a defensive stop, but the Salem keeper saved Bill's shot. The Tiger bench then tried to call timeout before they had gained possession, resulting in a five-meter penalty for the Pioneers.

Flynn's penalty shot sailed wide as the Pioneers missed another chance to extend their lead, then she was called for an exclusion on the other end. East Bay's defense was able to hold during the ensuing powerplay, preserving the lead. Salem got possession one final time with 12 seconds left and got a pretty good opportunity in close to the cage, but a Tiger shot attempt just before the final buzzer went off the crossbar, sealing the win for CSUEB.

The Pioneers advance to take on No. 2 seed Fresno Pacific on Saturday morning at 7:30 a.m. Pacific time in the semifinal round. It will be the third meeting of the season between the two squads. East Bay won the first matchup 12-11 in Fresno, then the Sunbirds got revenge two months later to even the season series by an identical 12-11 score. The winner of Saturday's rubber match will earn a trip to the WWPA title game on Sunday.