Scoresheet (pdf)

NORTHRIDGE, Calif. – The No. 4 University of Hawai'i Rainbow Wahine women's water polo team (18-5, 3-0 Big West) defeated the No. 25 Cal State Northridge Matadors (10-17, 0-3 Big West), 17-11, Saturday afternoon at the Matador Pool in Northridge, Calif. Hawai'i remains undefeated in Big West play, and once again, moves one game ahead of rival No. 17 Long Beach State for the top seed.  

The Rainbow Wahine got on the board early with a 4-0 run to start the first period with goals by freshman Irene Gonzalez, tallying her first hat trick of the afternoon at the 4:09 mark, and junior Taylor Molde. However, after a Matadors timeout, CSUN's Shannon Hovanesian was able to connect for her first goal, cutting the lead to three. Defending Big West Player of the Week, junior Nikki-Marie Bell, countered with her first goal of the afternoon to bring the 'Bows back up by four, until CSUN's Katelyn Fairchild netted her first goal cut the lead, 5-3, going into the second period.

The Matadors came out looking strong in the second with back-to-back goals by Alexis Elias and Miranda Coleman. However, Rainbow Wahine freshmen Carla Abellan and Femke Aan countered with their first goals to give UH a 7-4 lead. The Matadors would score once again, until sophomore Erika Pauley and Abellan reeled off two more goals to give the 'Bows a four-score lead at the end of the first half, up 9-5.

The Rainbow Wahine dominated the third quarter, outscoring the Matadors 5-2 in the period. CSUN's Madeleine Sanchez opened with the first goal of the second half, bringing the Matadors within three. Gonzalez countered with her fourth goal of the match, until CSUN's Elias quickly fired back her second goal to cut the lead once again.

The Rainbow Wahine then went on a 4-0 run with Bell and Aan netting their second goals each, Gonzalez added a fifth, and junior Danika Kotylak got on the board with her only goal of the match, doubling their lead going into the fourth, 14-7.

Down by seven, CSUN's Amy Yule started the fourth with a quick goal less than 30 seconds in to bring the Matadors within six. However back-to-back goals by Molde and Gonzalez, who tallied her second hat trick of the match at 5:46, once again doubled the 'Bows' lead, 16-8. The Matadors outscored the 'Bows 3-1 in the final minutes of the match as freshman Hannah Thompson netted the final Rainbow Wahine goal at 3:21 left in the fourth.

However, even with CSUN's Hovanesian recording the last goal of the match with just four seconds left, Hawai'i proved too much to overcome and the 'Bows came away victorious, 17-11.

The Rainbow Wahine look to stay undefeated in Big West play as they face No.14 UC Santa Barbara on Sunday, April 10 at 12:00 p.m. PDT (9:00 a.m. HT) at the Campus Pool in Santa Barbara, Calif.

Saturday, April 9
Northridge, California (Matador Pool)
Scoring by Quarters
Hawai'i:     5     4     5     3 = 17
CSUN:       2     3     2     4 = 11
Hawai'i Scoring: Irene Gonzalez 6, Femke Aan 2, Taylor Molde 2, Nikki-Marie Bell 2, Carla Abellan 2, Hannah Thompson 1, Erika Pauley 1, Danika Kotylak 1
CSUN Scoring: Shannon Hovanesian 3, Katelyn Fairchild 2, Alexis Elias 2, Miranda Coleman 1, Amy Yule 1, Madeleine Sanchez 1, Taitum Herrington 1