No. 19 Pioneers Split Final Day of Seawolf Splash
- February 21, 2010
Game 1 stats | Game 2 stats
ROHNERT PARK, Calif. - The 19th-ranked Cal State East bay women's water polo team split two games on the final day of the Seawolf Splash, edging Sonoma State 17-16 in overtime before falling to No. 15 UC Davis, 18-11, in the tournament finale. The Pioneers (7-5) finish the weekend with a 3-1 mark but snapped a six-game winning streak with the loss to the Aggies.
The day opened with a high-scoring affair with the Seawolves, who built a 3-1 lead early on in the first quarter before the Pioneers answered with a pair of goals to end the frame trailing 4-3. The second quarter saw Sonoma State take a three-goal lead, getting three goals in four minutes from Holly Armijo. East Bay bounced back again, however, closing the gap to one, 9-8 at the half, matching Sonoma's five goals in the second period.
The third quarter saw more of the same, as the Seawolves jumped out to a three-goal lead before the Pioneers again came back to tie things up 13-13 heading into the fourth quarter. The final period of regulation was the lowest scoring, as both squads scored a pair of goals to remain even at the end of the fourth quarter.
Sonoma State struck first in overtime, as Laurel Stricklin put away her eighth goal of the game. East Bay answered back a minute later, to end the first three-minute overtime tied 16-16. The game appeared destined for sudden-death overtime after the two squads went scoreless through most of the second overtime, until junior two meter Liz Warren scored the game winner with just 18 seconds remaining in overtime to give the Pioneers the 17-16 victory.
Freshman utility Claire Pierce had a breakout game, leading ÂãÁÄÖ±²¥ with five goals. Meanwhile senior utility Jenna Casady and Whitney Bell added four and three goals, respectively. Warren added two goals, including the game winner. Freshman Emily Hucal and senior Lauren Merrill combined for nine saves in goal for East Bay.
The Seawolves were led by Stricklin's eight goals, while Armijo added four and Brooke Smith scored two.
The weekend finale saw the Pioneers and Aggies combine for another 29 goals. UC Davis opened the game with a monster first half, out-scoring East Bay 14-7 in the first half. The Pioneers matched the Aggies in the second half, but could not pull ahead, with both teams scoring three goals in the third and one in the fourth to give UCD the victory.
Bell led ÂãÁÄÖ±²¥ with four goals, while Pierce added another three as the pair finished the day with 15 combined goals. Merrill and Hucal combined to make 10 saves, while Michelle Hook and Kaylee Miller led the Aggies with four and three goals, respectively.
Pierce capped a stellar weekend with 13 goals, while Bell added 11 to lead the Pioneers to three victories.
ÂãÁÄÖ±²¥ returns to action next weekend, traveling to Orange for the Chapman Tournament. The Pioneers will face Cal State San Bernardino, host Chapman, Gannon and Occidental. East Bay and the Coyotes will kick things off at 10:30 a.m. on Feb. 27.
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Game 1 Scoring Summary
Sonoma State: 4 5 4 2 1 0 = 16
#19 East Bay: 3 5 5 2 1 1 = 17
Sonoma State Goal Scorers: Stricklin 8, Armijo 4, Smith 2, Pearce, Rangel
East Bay Goal Scorers: Pierce 5, Casady 4, Bell 3, Warren 2, Kennedy, Griffin, Bryan
Sonoma State Saves: 15
East Bay Saves: 9
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Game 2 Scoring Summary
#15 UC Davis: 7 7 3 1 = 18
#19 East Bay: 3 4 3 1 = 11
UC Davis Goal Scorers: Hook 4, Miller 3, Sutterley 2, Ternasky 2, Dunn 2, Miyabe, Feeney, Bogan, Nelson, Bailey
East Bay Goal Scorers: Bell 4, Pierce 3, Casady, Griffin, Gelet, Comforti
UC Davis Saves: 10
East Bay Saves: 7