HONOLULU - The No. 5 University of Hawai'i Rainbow Wahine water polo team's (16-4, 1-0 BWC) late surge was not enough to move past No. 3 Southern California (13-1), who picked up their 22nd-straight victory over Hawaii with a 9-5 win Saturday night at the Duke Kahanamoku Aquatic Complex. Elyse Lemay-Lavoie and Chloe Barr led the attack with two goals apiece.

The Rainbow Wahine had challenges in finding offensive rhythm against USC's stout defense, shooting just 23.8 percent (5-for-21), while UH held its own with the Trojans shooting only 31 percent (9-for-29).

In the first stanza, Elyse Lemay-Lavoie found the back of the net first, scoring on a assist by Samantha Malouff at the 4:49 mark. USC evened things up, as Paige Hauschild answered at the 2:40 mark. Both the Rainbow Wahine and Trojans showed their defensive abilities— limiting each other to poor shooting percentages, Hawai'i shot just 16.7 percent, while USC shot just 14.3 percent.

During the second period, USC forced four Rainbow Wahine turnovers, limiting them to just three shots in the quarter. Southern California's Brianna Daboub broke the tie at the 5:41 mark, giving the Trojans a 2-1 lead. In the ensuing possession, Chloe Barr kept things close as she got her first goal of the evening. Late in quarter two, Annika Jensen and Elise Stein each found the back of the net, giving USC a 4-2 advantage over the Rainbow Wahine at the half.

In quarter number three, the Rainbow Wahine were shut out offensively, while Southern California's Kelsey McIntosh and Daboub each scored.

Early in the last quarter, Hauschild added on a goal at the 6:50 mark— building the Trojan lead to 7-2. The Rainbow Wahine answered late in the quarter as Maartje Keuning ended the scoring drought of 17 minutes and two seconds, netting a goal at the 3:50 mark. Lemay-Lavoie made things interesting as she scored her second goal at the 2:15 mark, giving the Rainbow Wahine a late push. However, Southern California's Hauschild narrowed any chance for the Rainbow Wahine as scored on following possession, giving her a hat trick. The Rainbow Wahine and Trojans both traded goals as Barr and Mammolito each scored in the waning moments.

Freshman Molly DiLalla got the nod at goalie, racking up 11 saves.
 

March 17, 2018  |  Duke Kahanamoku Aquatic Complex (Honolulu, O'ahu)
Scoring by Quarters
No. 3 Southern California (13-1)	1	1	0	3	- 5
No. 5 Hawai'i (16-4)	1	3	2	3	- 9
USC Scoring:  Paige Hauschild (3), Brianna Daboub (2), Annika Jensen (1), Denise Mammolito (1), Kelsey McIntosh (1), Elise Stein (1)
UH Scoring:  Elyse Lemay-Lavoie (2), Chloe Barr (2), Maartje Keuning (1)

 




 
 
The Rainbow Wahine will continue their three-game homestand versus UC Davis (15-7, 0-0) in their second Big West conference game of season on Saturday, March 31 at 6:00 p.m. HT at the Duke Kahanamoku Aquatic Center.