Box Score (PDF)  |  2017 WWPA Women's Championship Tournament Central

GENEVA, Ohio -- Carleigh Robinson scored the go-ahead goal with 32 seconds remaining in regulation to break a 6-6 tie and the Sonoma State women's water polo team stopped Cal State East Bay on its final possession to secure a spot in SSU's first-ever WWPA Championship final with an epic 7-6 victory over the Pioneers in Saturday's conference tournament semifinal at SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio. 

No. 3 seed Sonoma State (11-18) will take on top-seed and 18th-ranked UC San Diego in Sunday's WWPA championship game at 8:15 pm Pacific Time (11:15 am Eastern); the Tritons (18-14) demolished No. 4 seed Cal State Monterey Bay in the other semifinal on Saturday, 20-8.

Click HERE to watch the postgame interview with SSU head coach Chelsea Hennan which includes highlights of Robinson's game-winner.

The higher-seeded Pioneers jumped out to a 3-1 lead early in the second period, but the Seawolves rallied for three straight goals to take a 4-3 lead with 3:31 to go in the third quarter.  Cal State East Bay battled back and retook the lead, a 5-4 advantage, but Nicole Groat evened the score at 5-5 at the end of the third.  Just under five minutes left in the game, CSUEB pulled ahead again, but SSU answered with a goal of their own on their next trip down the pool to again tie the game, this time at 6-6. 

Both teams traded unsuccessful possessions all the way until the final minute.  The Pioneers were called for an exclusion with 47 seconds left, and after a Seawolf timeout, Robinson came up big with her third goal of the game to break the tie and give Sonoma a 7-6 lead with 32 seconds to play.  On CSUEB's ensuing possession, the Seawolves didn't allow them a clean look at a shot, regaining possession of the ball to run the remaining time off the clock and secure the upset win.

Robinson led with three goals, Lyndsie Williams recorded two, Groat and Taylor Brown had the others.  Taylor Plorin made 11 huge saves in the victory.