Box Score
HONOLULU – The University of Hawai`i women's water polo team opened the 2009 MPSF Water Polo Championship with a tough 8-7 loss to UCLA on Friday afternoon at the Duke Kahanamoku Aquatics Complex on the UH campus.
The sixth-seeded Rainbow Wahine hung close with the third-seeded Bruins, but will now move to the consolation side of the bracket. UH is hosting the MSPF Championship for the first time since 2001.
UH will now face No. 7 seed San Diego State at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday. UCLA will face the No. 2 seed Stanford at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday night.
The Bruins got on the board first on a Priscilla Orozco goal in the first quarter. The Rainbow Wahine answered with one goal by
Carmen Eggens to close the quarter as a low scoring first frame finished 1-1.
UH started the second quarter with a goal by
Saara Majuri to take a 2-1 lead, but UCLA answered with three goals, including two more by Orozco to take back the lead. UH's
Lisa van Raalte scored a late goal to cut UCLA's lead to 4-3 going into halftime.
In the first half, UH goalkeeper
Serena Bredin was outstanding, coming up with several key saves to keep the Rainbow Wahine in the match.
UCLA started the second half with two quick goals to take a 6-3 lead over UH.
Kelly Mason got on the board for UH in the second half, cutting the lead to 6-4 with just under six minutes left in the third quarter. UCLA added two more goals to take the 8-4 lead going into the fourth quarter.
The Rainbow Wahine scored first in the fourth quarter when
Leonie Van Der Molen scored her first goal of the match. Van Der Molen scored her second goal of the match to cut the lead to 8-6 with 2:06 remaining in the game.
UH cut the lead to 8-7 on a
Carmen Eggens goal with 30 seconds left, but UCLA ran out the game clock for the victory.
No. 3 UCLA 8, No. 6 Hawai`i 7
HAWAI`I 1 2 1 3 - 7
UCLA 1 3 4 0 - 8
Goals
UCLA – Priscilla Orozco (4), Katie Rulon (3), Anne Belden
Saves
UCLA – Brittany Fullen (5)
-UH-
