Marist Scoresheet (pdf) | Hartwick Scoresheet (pdf)

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - The University of Hawai'i women's water polo team split its final day of competition, Sunday at the Bruno Classic at the Katherine Moran Coleman Aquatics Center. After defeating No. 24 Marist in the day's opening match, 11-6, No. 17 Hartwick got the best of the Rainbow Wahine in the mid-day meeting, 11-7.

Opening up at 8:00 a.m., UH benefitted from the first-quarter efforts of Barcelona, Spain freshman Irene Gonzalez and Riverside, Calif. junior Nikki-Marie Bell, who each scored a pair of goals in the opening stanza to give the Rainbow Wahine the 4-1 advantage.

The first quarter made all the difference in the outcome, as the match grew tighter in the second with a 4-3 margin in favor of UH. In the second half, the scoring slowed for both teams, including a 1-1 tie in the third. Gonzalez and Maple Ridge, Canada junior Danika Kotylak combined for a 2-1 fourth-quarter edge to take UH to the 11-6 victory.

Gonzalez led all UH scorers with five goals.

Scoring By Quarters vs. Marist
Marist –      1    3    1    1  =  6
Hawai'i –    4    4    1    2  =  11
UH Scoring vs. Marist: Irene Gonzalez 5, Julia Barton 2, Nikki-Marie Bell 2, Carla Abellan 1, Danika Kotylak 1

The Rainbow Wahine met a defensive standoff in the final match of the tournament, as the tone was set in the 1-1 first quarter. Hartwick's L.J. Edwards put the first points on the board with 5:19 on the clock. Bell prevented a scoreless quarter for UH, netting the first of her three goals with five seconds to go in the opening frame.

The second quarter featured a boosted offense for the Rainbow Wahine, as Oostzaan and Netherlands freshman Femke Aan and Seal Beach, Calif. sophomore Erika Pauley tallied their first goals of the day, combining with Gonzalez and Carla Abellan for a 4-3 advantage and a one-goal lead into the half.

The Hawks began to slow the UH attack in the third quarter, but it was the final-frame shutout that sealed it for Hartwick, winning the scoring battle 3-0 down the stretch, holding UH to its lowest scoring output of the year in the 11-6 loss.

HC was the first team in the tournament to limit Gonzalez' production, holding her scoreless in the final contest of the weekend—in all, the Spanish rookie scored 22 goals in the Bruno Classic. Bell paced the UH offense with three goals versus Hartwick, while Aan recorded two.

Scoring By Quarters vs. Hartwick
Hartwick –  1    3    4    3  =  11
Hawai'i –    1    4    2    0  =  7
UH Scoring vs. Hartwick: Nikki-Marie Bell 3, Femke Aan 2, Carla Abellan 1, Xanthe Plescia 1

After finishing 5-1 in the Bruno Classic, setting up a 9-2 overall mark, the Rainbow Wahine will go 17 days between matches. UH is next set for action on Feb. 25 at Claremont, preceding consecutive days of competition at the UC Irvine Invitational, Feb. 27-28.