When Maya Farkas wore the Pioneer jersey, she never imagined how deeply those years on the pitch would shape her future. Today, as a recent Fire Fighter 1 academy and EMT program graduate preparing to enter the fire service, she draws daily from the lessons she learned at Cal State East Bay—lessons of discipline, teamwork, and resilience.

This is a big week for the Pioneers with men's and women's soccer kicking off CCAA play and volleyball hosting a pair of conference games.  Swim and men's and women's cross country are also in action with some big meets on the calendar.

HAYWARD, Calif. – Cal State East Bay women's soccer put together a determined defensive effort on Sunday afternoon but came up just short against the No 1 team in the nation, Cal Poly Pomona.  The Pioneers dropped the 1-0 decision and moved to 2-4-1 overall.

For senior defender Madeline Bister, last season's run to the CCAA Championship match felt almost magical. "It was a surreal, almost dreamlike experience to watch all our hard work, time, and sacrifice come to life on the field," she said. "What made it even more powerful was doing it alongside a group of teammates who shared the same drive, the same fire. It felt like the stars had aligned just for us."

BELLINGHAM, Wash. — Cal State East Bay women's soccer showed grit and determination on Saturday afternoon at Harrington Field, but a second-half surge wasn't enough to overcome an early deficit in a 2-1 loss to (RV) Western Washington. Mika Sayfurahman found the net for the second time this season and 19th tim in her career to climb the Pioneer record book for goals.