IRVINE, Calif. — The second-ranked University of Hawai'i water polo team advanced to the championship match in the Barbara Kalbus Invitational with victories over No. 12 Long Beach State and No. 6 California on Saturday at Corona del Mar High School in Irvine, Calif.
The Rainbow Wahine started day two of the tournament with a 17-8 win over Long Beach State to advance to the semifinals. The 'Bows then defeated No. 6 California 10-7 to earn a spot in the final.
The 'Bows will face off against No. 1 UCLA on Sunday at 11:30 a.m. Pacific Time (9:30 a.m. Hawai'i Time) at Corona del Mar High School in the first-place match to close out the tournament. UH and UCLA met on Feb. 3 in the Triton Invitational where the Bruins won 13-12 victory in overtime in La Jolla, Calif.
Senior Lucia Gomez de la Puente led the Rainbow Wahine with four goals against Long Beach State marking her third game of the season with at least four goals. Junior Bernadette Doyle finished with two goals and a team-high four assists and helped the 'Bows pass the Beach.
UH returned to action later in the afternoon against Cal and seniors Lot Stertefeld and Alba Bonamusa Boix and sophomore Bia Mantellato Dias tied for the team lead in scoring with three goals each. Freshman Daisy Logtens got the start at goalie and recorded 15 saves. The 'Bows took the lead at the 2:41 mark of the first quarter and never gave it back.
UH improved to 11-1 on the season and earned their eighth and ninth wins over CWPA top-25 opponents.
Game 1 - No. 2 Hawai'i 17, No. 12 Long Beach State 8
The 'Bows and the Beach traded goals to kickoff the match until penalties started to hurt UH. Long Beach State finished the quarter with four goals with three of them coming by penalty shots. Despite struggling with penalties, the Rainbow Wahine offense kept pace with four goals of their own including a goal from junior Morgan Rios with four seconds left in the quarter to knot the score up at 4-4 after one.
UH continued its offensive surge scoring four straight goals to begin the second quarter which extended the scoring run to 6-0 from the previous quarter. Gomez de la Puente earned a hat-trick during the scoring run and the 'Bows held an 8-4 lead. The Beach would put an end to the scoring run with their lone goal of the quarter at the 4:43 mark. Doyle and Jordan Wedderburn scored one goal each to end the half extending the Rainbow Wahine lead to 10-5.
The 'Bows' efficient offense carried on in the second half, outscoring the Beach 4-2 in the third led by Mantellato Dias who scored twice. Mantellato Dias tallied another goal in the fourth to earn a hat-trick of her own. The Rainbow Wahine put the game out of reach by scoring two more times in the fourth.
UH capitalized on power-play opportunities going 6 for 12 in those scenarios and held Long Beach State to a 1-for-6 showing on its power-play opportunities.
Game 2 - No. 2 Hawai'i 10, No. 6 California 7
The Golden Bears struck first in the semifinal match, but the Rainbow Wahine answered back with a 4-0 scoring run. The 'Bows continue to spread the ball around with all four scores from different players in the quarter. The early goals would be too much for the Golden Bears to overcome as the Rainbow Wahine would not give the lead back for the remainder of the game.
California scored two quick goals to begin the second, cutting the 'Bows lead down to one. Stertefeld scored twice in the quarter to give UH a three-goal lead back heading into the half.
The Rainbow Wahine carried their momentum into the second half, scoring three goals in the quarter to take a 9-3 lead. Bonamusa Boix scored twice and Mantellato Dias tallied a goal to end the quarter.
Mantellato Dias served up another goal at the 6:16 mark of the fourth period to seal the game, despite allowing three consecutive goals to end the game.
Logtens had a phenomenal performance at goalie for the Rainbow Wahine recording 15 saves on 21 shot attempts. This is Logtens third game with at least 15 saves this season playing a crucial role to the team's defensive success.
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