HONOLULU — The University of Hawai'i water polo team, ranked third and fourth in the national polls, celebrated Senior Night with a dramatic 16-11 overtime win over seventh-ranked UC Irvine on Saturday at the Duke Kahanamoku Aquatic Complex.
Senior Jordan Wedderburn's go-ahead goal to open overtime sparked a 5-0 scoring run to propel the Rainbow Wahine (16-3, 5-0 Big West) past UC Irvine (13-10, 4-1) and into sole possession of first place in the conference standings.
The win extended UH's conference win streak to 15 and marked its 15th straight home victory. The 'Bows also ended the home schedule undefeated (7-0) for a second consecutive season.
Four Rainbow Wahine earned hat tricks, led by Bernadette Doyle's team-high four goals to earn her ninth hat trick on the season. Wedderburn, Alia Burlock and Ema Vernoux each added three goals. Daisy Logtens went the distance at goalie and recorded 10 saves.
UH got out to a hot start with four goals in the first quarter. The seniors got the action started as Wedderburn scored the first goal of the contest, followed by two consecutive goals by Doyle. Vernoux scored with nine seconds left in the quarter to cap off the electric opening quarter. UC Irvine scored three goals and the Rainbow Wahine held a 4-3 lead.
A scoreless second quarter by the 'Bows helped the Anteaters claim their first lead of the game. UC Irvine scored two goals and entered halftime with a 5-4 lead.
The Anteaters tacked on two more goals to open the third quarter to take a 7-4 lead, but the Rainbow Wahine responded with a 3-0 scoring run. Morgan Rios and Silvanne Slot both tallied their first goals of the contest, and Wedderburn converted a penalty shot to close out the quarter and the teams went into the fourth tied 7-7.
UH continued its scoring run in the fourth quarter with a goal from Burlock. UC Irvine scored, but Roni Perlman fired in a clutch goal with a second before the shot clock expired. The Anteaters responded with another goal, but Vernoux skipped a shot past multiple defenders to help UH reclaim the lead.
UC Irvine tallied another goal at the 1:58 mark. Doyle caught the Anteaters off guard with a flashy no-look goal to reclaim an 11-10 lead with 1:21 left in regulation. UH's one-goal lead vanished after a goal from UC Irvine attacker Sara Naulty with less than a second left sent the match to overtime at 11-11.
Wedderburn scored in the opening minute of the first overtime period. The Rainbow Wahine fed off the energy of an electric crowd and closed the match with four consecutive goals. Burlock scored twice in the second overtime period and Doyle launched a shot into an empty net to punctuate the win. The 'Bows did not allow a goal in both overtime periods to set the stage for the traditional Senior Night celebration.
After the game, the 'Bows honored the senior class of Doyle, Wedderburn, Rios and
Stevilyn Griffin following their final match at the DKAC.
UH returns to action with a three-game road stretch beginning with a matchup against No. 12 UC San Diego on Thursday at 6:00 p.m. PT (3:00 p.m. HT) at the Canyonview Aquatic Center in La Jolla, Calif. The 'Bows will also face No. 4 UCLA (April 12) and Cal State Fullerton (April 13) to close out the regular season.
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