LONG BEACH, Calif. — The University of Hawai'i women's water polo team leaned on its defense to extend its quest for a third straight title in an 8-7 win over UC Irvine in the Big West Championship semifinal match on Saturday at the Ken Lindgren Aquatics Center in Long Beach, Calif.
The top-seeded and sixth-ranked Rainbow Wahine (15-5) entered the fourth quarter with an 8-5 lead and the fourth-seeded Anteaters closed to within a goal with 2:48 left in regulation. UH goalkeeper
Daisy Logtens protected the lead with her 12
th save of the match and seniors
Camille Radosavljevic and
Roni Perlman teamed up on a steal with 17 seconds left to send UH to the Big West final for the eighth straight season and 11
th time overall.
The 'Bows will seek the program's seventh Big West title and third in a row when they face host and second-seeded Long Beach State (17-10) in Sunday's championship match. The final is set for Sunday, April 12, at 11:00 a.m. Hawai'i Time (2:00 p.m. Pacific Time) and will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
Freshman Ariadna Temprano Xambó led the offensive charge for Hawai'i, scoring four goals to post her seventh hat trick of the season.
Ema Vernoux added two goals, and her score with 32 seconds left in the third quarter proved to be the difference.
Perlman dished out a team-high four assists and moved into the program's all-time career top 10 with 87. Logtens tied her season high while posting her ninth double-figure save performance of the year and the 28th of her career and UH never trailed in the match.
Hawai'i finished with a .296 shooting percentage (8-for-27), while the defense held UC Irvine to a .212 mark (7-for-33). Both squads struggled to find a rhythm on the player advantage, with Hawai'i and UC Irvine each converting just 2-of-8 (.250) on the power play.
The match began with Hawai'i striking early in the first quarter.
Gabrielle Doyle came up with a steal, and Temprano Xambó converted on the counterattack to give the Rainbow Wahine the lead.
Asimina Klapsianou then scored on a backhand to make it 2-0, and Vernoux fired in a power play goal. UC Irvine broke through, but Logtens killed off two more Anteater powerplay opportunities to protect a 3-1 lead heading into the second quarter.
UC Irvine scored first in the second quarter, but Doyle quickly answered with a goal off an assist from Perlman. A long-range strike from Temprano Xambó subsequently pushed the Hawai'i lead to 5-3. The Anteaters managed a defensive stop and scored with 1:04 left and UH took a 5-4 lead into halftime.
Temprano Xambó lobbed in a goal to complete her hat trick early in the third quarter, and later added a power play strike to extend the Rainbow Wahine lead to 7-4. UC Irvine answered with a penalty shot, but Klapsianou drew a 5-meter penalty on the ensuing possession, which Vernoux converted to give Hawai'i an 8-5 advantage entering the final eight minutes.
The Anteaters opened the fourth quarter with a power play goal and Sara Naulty scored her fourth goal of the game at the 2:48 mark to cut the Hawai'i lead to 8-7. UH maintained the lead and UC Irvine took possession with 30 seconds left. After a timeout, the Anteaters tried to work the ball into the middle, but Radosavljevic poked the ball away from behind and Perlman corralled the ball. The 'Bows were able to run out the clock to clinch their spot in the final.
Long Beach State held off UC Davis 12-10 in Saturday's second semifinal to join UH in the title match. The 'Bows and Beach will meet in the Big West final for the third straight year and for the third time this season. UH claimed the 2024 title with a 9-5 win over LBSU and defended the crown with an 8-6 victory last year in Irvine, Calif.
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