HONOLULU - The No. 5 University of Hawai'i Rainbow Wahine water polo team (18-4, 3-0 BWC) remained perfect in Big West Conference play, defeating No. 14 Long Beach State (11-12, 2-2 BWC) on Saturday night at the Duke Kahanmoku Aquatic Complex, earning the 12-6 win in the Senior Night home finale. The Rainbow Wahine were led by Sophomore Maartje Keuning, who matched her career-high with four goals, while Junior Irene Gonzalez notched her ninth hat-trick of the season. 

The Rainbow Wahine showed glimpses of great offensive rhythm throughout the night but also stumbled upon a scrappy 49ers defense, which UH to just four goals in the first half.

Early in the opening quarter, the Rainbow Wahine looked like a well oiled machine, connecting on 4-of-6 shots, while the 49ers stayed close by finding the back of the net twice. Junior Femke Aan did not waste time making an offensive statement, scoring on the opening possession of the game. Gonzalez also got off to a hot start, scoring twice in the opening quarter, registering her 15th multi-scoring effort of the season. Keuning also chipped in one goal for Hawai'i. Long Beach State's Maria Eleni Mimidi and Virginia Smith each scored to keep the margin within reach. 

It was a tale of two quarters, as both defenses locked down in an all-around shutout second quarter. The Rainbow Wahine maintained a 4-2 advantage heading into halftime. 

Hawai'i finally found its offensive spark in the third period, using a 5-1 run to extend their lead to 9-3 entering the final quarter. Gonzalez took advantage of power play, scoring her third goal at the 6:30 mark, tallying her ninth hat-trick of the season. Keuning did not shy away, scoring twice in the period. Senior Chloe Barr and freshman Elyse Lemay-Lavoie joined the party, each adding one goal apiece. Long Beach State's Annabel Harman scored her team's lone goal of the frame. 

The Rainbow Wahine and 49ers traded goals in the last frame, as senior Erika Pauley, senior Claire Nixon and Keuning added one goal each to seal the victory. Keuning matched a career high of four goals. Long Beach State's Raney Remme scored twice and Smith added one goal. 

Freshman Molly DiLalla got her seventh straight start at goalie, recording five saves, while Senior Kayla Chang saw time in the cage, notching two saves of her own. 

After the 12-6 victory kept the Rainbow Wahine on track as they vie for the one-seed and another Big West title, the program celebrated the final game at the Duke Kahanamoku Aquatic Complex for five seniors. Barr, Chang, Nixon and Pauley all contributed to their final home outing, while goalie Ymane Hage was unable to play. The quintet took their traditional final senior float to close out the night as UH prepares to head on the road for the final Big West contests.
 

April 7, 2018  |  Duke Kahanamoku Aquatic Complex (Honolulu, O'ahu)
Scoring by Quarters
No. Long Beach State (11-12, 2-2 BWC)	2	0	1	3	- 6
No. Hawai'i (18-4, 3-0 BWC)	4	0	5	3	- 12
LBSU Scoring: Virginia Smith (2), Raney Remme (2), Maria Eleni Mimidi (1), Annabel Harman (1).
UH Scoring:  Maartje Keuning (4), Irene Gonzalez (3), Claire Nixon (1), Elyse Lemay-Lavoie (1), Chloe Barr (1), Erika Pauley (1), Femke Aan (1).

 




 


The Rainbow Wahine will wrap up Big West play next week with a twin-bill weekend, starting off at No. 17 UC Santa Barbara's (14-11, 1-2 BWC) Campus Pool, Saturday, April 14 at 12:00 p.m. HT, then heading over to CSUN (15-14, 0-3 BWC) to face the Matadors on Sunday, April 15.