BOX SCORE (PDF)
HAYWARD, Calif. -- Carleigh Robinson scored three of Sonoma State's final four goals in the fourth quarter, including the game-winner with just 55 seconds left in regulation to lift the Seawolves to a thrilling come-from-behind 11-10 victory over WWPA-rival Cal State East Bay on Friday afternoon at Pioneer Pool in Hayward. Sonoma improves to 7-16 overall and is now 1-1 in the WWPA. The Pioneers fell to 10-12 and is also 1-1 in conference action.
As tends to be the case when CSUEB and SSU play, today was an extremely tight back-and-forth contest. Both squads held the lead multiple times during the game, and never by more than two goals.
Taylor Brown started the scoring in the opening period for the Seawolves with a goal on their first possession. The Pioneers answered back with goals by Nicole Williams at 6:31 and Olivia Mackell at 4:02, but Sonoma quickly drew an exclusion and Robinson converted the power play. SSU's
Nicole Groat added another goal with 45 seconds left to snag a 3-2 lead after one quarter.
The teams played to a 3-3 draw in the second. Gabriella Garcia found the back of the cage at 5:22, and then the Pioneers notched two goals within the span of a minute as Alicia Tully and Auriel Bill both scored to give CSUEB a one-goal lead. However, Robinson flipped the momentum right before halftime, tallying two goals in the final minute to put the Seawolves up 6-5 at the break.
East Bay tied the game in short order coming out of halftime, as Bill assisted Brandi Carroll. Two minutes later, Mackell scored for the second time to give the home team the lead back. The score remained 7-6 for nearly five minutes before Sonoma finally tied the game on Groat's second goal. But then in the final minute, Katelyn Clark assisted Carroll and Cheyenne Brady on back-to-back possessions and the Pioneers went back on top 9-7 heading into the final period.
The squads traded goals early in the fourth, as Carroll notched a hat trick with her third score of the second half. However, the final five minutes were all Seawolves. The visitors scored two quick goals -- one on a five-meter penalty by Robinson and the other by Groat -- to tie the score 10-10, and it stayed that way until the final minute. After both teams missed chances to grab the lead, Robinson fired a deep shot at the end of the shot clock for the go-ahead Seawolf goal with 55 seconds left. That held as the game-winner when East Bay failed to score on its final possession.
Robinson's six goals is a new career-best, topping a couple of five-goal outputs over the course of her career. Groat added three goals while
Lily Carlon and
Taylor Brown each had one. Carlon also had three assists. Defensively,
Lisa Rodarmel got the start in goal for SSU, making 10 saves and three steals in the first three quarters of action.
Taylor Plorin came in for the fourth quarter and made four stops and one steal for the victory.
Sonoma State will head south to take on Fresno Pacific at the Fresno State Aquatic Center Saturday at 11:00 am.
(Cal State East Bay Director of Athletic Communications Steve Connolly contributed to this report.)
