DAVIS, Calif. — The top-seeded and second-ranked University of Hawai'i women's water polo team opened the Big West Championship with a 19-6 rout of eighth-seeded Cal State Fullerton in a quarterfinal matchup on Friday at the Schaal Aquatics Center in Davis, Calif.
The Rainbow Wahine (20-3) led 3-1 after the first quarter then pulled away in the second and third periods to advance to Saturday's semifinals. UH will face No. 4-seed UC San Diego at noon Pacific Time (9 a.m. Hawaii time) for a spot in the championship match. UCSD (18-11) advanced with an 18-11 win over CSUN in Friday's second quarterfinal match.
UH reached 20 wins for the 11th time in program history and the fifth time under head coach Maureen Cole. The Titans closed their second season at 10-19.
UH senior Alba Bonamusa Boix finished with three goals and an assist and earned a place in program history by becoming the first Rainbow Wahine player to reach 200 goals and 100 assists in a career.
Bonamusa Boix was among four UH players to post a hat trick in the 'Bows' eighth straight victory and a total of 10 'Bows contributed to the scoring. Roni Perlman posted her first hat trick of the season and Lucia Gomez de la Puente and Bernadette Doyle also scored three goals each. Center Bia Mantellato Dias scored on both of her two shot attempts and drew three exclusions.
UH goalkeeper Daisy Logtens made two saves in the first half and Emma Gurasich had six while playing the second half.
UH scored on 16 of 25 attempts (.640) through three quarters and improved to 6-0 all-time in first-round games in the conference tournament.
UH won the opening sprint and took the lead 19 seconds later when Mantellato Dias fired her 58th goal of the season off of Bomanusa Boix's 100th career assist.
Gomez de la Puente converted an outlet pass from
Lot Stertefeld into her first goal of the morning to give UH a 2-0 lead. Cal State Fullerton broke through with a goal with 1:39 left in the first quarter and saw a shot to tie bang off the crossbar. Gomez de la Puente then extended the lead with a goal from the right side and UH led 3-1 after eight minutes.
Agatha Weston scored on the first possession of the second quarter and Doyle stretched the lead to 5-1. Perlman and Bonamusa Boix became the fifth and sixth UH players to score and UH opened up a 7-1 lead midway through the period. Perlman and Doyle scored their second goals to send the 'Bows into halftime up 9-2.
Perlman opened the scoring in the second half and Bonamusa Boix scored her 200th career goal at the 6:47 mark of the third quarter. She fired in her third goal of the day less than three minutes later for her eighth hat trick of the season.
The 'Bows tallied five more goals in the quarter to go on a 7-0 scoring run. During the run, Gomez de la Puente earned a hat-trick at the 2:52 mark of the third quarter. Doyle earned her hat-trick by scoring on a power play with 57 seconds left in the quarter. UH had its largest lead with a 13 point advantage. The Titans tacked on one more goal to end the third quarter and the 'Bows entered the fourth quarter with a 16-4 lead.
Esmee Roijen, Stevilyn Griffin and Allegra Childs all scored their first goals of the contest, helping 'Bows outscore the Titans 3-2 in the fourth quarter.
Saturday's semifinal round will open with the second meeting of the season between UH and UC San Diego. The 'Bows and Tritons last met on March 29 at the Duke Kahanamoku Aquatic Complex with the Rainbow Wahine picking up an 18-8 victory.
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