DAVIS, Calif. - For the second straight season, the University of Hawai`i (18-12) finished in fourth place at the NCAA Women's Water Polo Championship. Second-seeded Stanford (24-5) ended UH's season with a 8-5 decision in the third-place game this afternoon at UC Davis' Schaal Aquatics Center.

Stanford's Scotti Shafer started the scoring at the 4:20 mark in the first quarter converting a power-play opportunity. UH's Kelly Mason tied it at 2:40 with the first of her three goals.

Then the Cardinal scored five unanswered goals in a shutout stretch that lasted from the 2:40 mark in the first quarter to the 3:37 point in the third. Stanford got goals from Jacquelyn Gauthier, Shafer, Nancy El-Sakkary, and a pair from Jessica Steffens that gave the Cardinal a 6-1 commanding lead. Mason's goal at the 2:30 mark in the first was the last Rainbow Wahine goal until midway in the third, when Mason again skipped in a shot on an even-strength goal to cut the Cardinal lead to 6-2. Iefke Van Belkum then converted a 6-on-5 20 seconds later to trim the deficit to three.

McColl, who recorded 10 saves and two assists, fired a long outlet pass outlet to Shafer to open the second, then launched a similar pass to Lauren Silver just after the one-minute mark of the third quarter. Silver's shot rolled past the front plane of the cage for Stanford's seventh goal. Silver hit a four-meter penalty shot in the opening possession of the fourth quarter to increase her team's margin to five. Mason and Kristy Bagnall each scored late in the game, but McColl's netminding work and Stanford's defense prevented Hawai`i from mounting a major comeback. Shafer, Silver, and Jessica Steffens each finished with two goals each for the Cardinal. Mason posted a hat-trick to lead all scorers in the game.

"I am extremely proud of our team," head coach Michel Roy said. "We left it all in the pool last night against USC and just didn't have it early today in the first two quarters and that was the game."

NCAA Women's Water Polo All-Tournament Team

First Team: Kelly Rulon, UCLA (MVP); Emily Feher, UCLA (GK), Anna Sieprath, Hawai`i; Scott Shafer, Stanford; Moriah Van Norman, USC; Iefke Van Belkum, Hawai`i; Lauren Wenger, USC; Thalia Munro, UCLA.

Second Team: Christina Hewko, Stanford; Katherine O'Rourke, UC Davis; Brittany Hayes, USC; Bronwen Knox, Hartwick; Erika Figge, USC; Meike De Nooy, Hawai`i (GK); Lauren Silver, Stanford; Kacy Kunkel, UCLA.

	

NCAA Championship - 3rd Place

3:00 p.m. PST


Scoring by Quarters	1	2	3	4		Final

Hawai`i		1	0	2	2	-	5

Stanford		2	3	2	1	-	8



Goals by HAW:   Kelly Mason (3), Kristy Bagnall, Iefke Van Belkum.

HAW Goalie Saves:   Meike De Nooy (4).

Goals by STAN:    Scott Shafer (2), Jessica Steffens (2), Lauren Silver (2), Jacquelyn Gauthier, Nancy El-Sakkary.

STAN Goalie Saves:   Meridith McColl (10).

Records:  Hawai`i (18-12), Stanford (24-5)

-UH-