SAN DIEGO – The No. 5 University of Hawai'i water polo team (14-3) opened the Aztec Invitational with a pair of solid wins on Saturday at the Aztec Aquaplex. Hawai'i recorded a first-match rout of Sonoma State (4-13) with eight Rainbow Wahine scorers contributing to a commanding 15-1 win over the Seawolves. The Rainbow Wahine then built an early lead against No. 20 Harvard (7-6) and held on through a late surge for the 10-5 win.
Match 1: No. 5 Hawai'i 15, Sonoma State 1
The most experienced Rainbow Wahine controlled the pace of the game early against Sonoma State, as Hawai'i jumped out to a 6-0 first-quarter lead, followed by an 8-0 advantage at the break. Leading the charge, seniors
Chloe Barr and
Claire Nixon racked up three and two goals, respectively. Barr recorded her third hat trick of the year.
Meanwhile, the young Hawai'i players took charge in the second half, with nine goals scored by Rainbow Wahine underclassmen.
Leading all scorers, redshirt freshman
Lalelei Mata'afa not only reached a new career scoring mark, but blew her previous bests out of the water, registering a game-high four goals in the third and fourth quarters. Aiding the effort, sophomore
Samantha Malouff registered her first career multi-score effort with a pair of goals. Freshman
Mhairi Nurthen notched her first career goal in the fourth quarter.
Making her first career start in the cage for the Rainbow Wahine, freshman
Molly DiLalla nearly shut out the Seawolves, only allowing a single SSU goal with 6:23 remaining. DiLalla logged a then-career-best nine saves and assisted on two scores.
Match 2: No. 5 Hawai'i 10, No. 20 Harvard 5
Defending a big lead generated in the first half, the Rainbow Wahine made it two wins on the day, holding off a late charge by No. 20 Harvard for a 10-5 victory in the second match of the day.
Although the first match featured strong numbers by the youngest Rainbow Wahine, the seasoned veterans made their mark against the Harvard Crimson. Barr got the scoring started for the Rainbow Wahine in the first with 6:31 on the clock and
Femke Aan rattled off two scores over the next two minutes to begin building the UH advantage.
Lemay-Lavoie and
Maartje Keuning each tagged in a pair of goals, and
Irene Gonzalez added one to close out UH's first-half scoring as the Rainbow Wahine knocked out a seven-goal upper hand before the Crimson netted their first goal.
With two consecutive goals from Kristen Hong and Lana Gorlinski, the Crimson cut into Hawai'i's lead with time winding down in the second quarter, but Gonzalez countered with a score in the final minute to grant UH the 8-2 advantage at the break.
Although the UH scoring spray was slowed in the second half by Harvard's Cleo Harrington in goal, the Rainbow Wahine also contained the Crimson deep into the fourth quarter, shutting out Harvard fully in the third. Harvard came rushing back with three goals in the final 2:13, but UH's early lead created breathing room, as the Rainbow Wahine held on for the 10-5 win and the 2-0 sweep to start the Aztec Invitational.
DiLalla returned for her second start, logging another career high with 11 saves. Gonzalez registered her seventh hat trick of the year with three goals, while Aan, Barr and Lemay-Lavoie each scored two. Keuning tabbed four assists and two steals against the Crimson.
|
March 10, 2018 | Aztec Aquaplex
(San Diego, Calif.) |
Scoring by Quarters |
| No. 20 Harvard (7-6) |
0 |
2 |
0 |
3 |
- 5 |
| No. 5 Hawai'i (14-3) |
5 |
3 |
1 |
1 |
- 10 |
HU Scoring: Kristen Hong (1), Lana Gorlinski (1), Quinne Pursell (1),
Olivia Price (1), Angie Varona (1) |
UHC Scoring: Irene Gonzalez (3), Femke Aan (2), Chloe Barr (2),
Elyse Lemay-Lavoie (2), Maartje Keuning (1), |
The Rainbow Wahine close out the Aztec Invitational early on Sunday, set for two matches against the local teams; No. 11 UC San Diego at 5:00 a.m. HT and at 9:45 a.m. HT versus host No. 21 San Diego State.
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