Hawai’i fights off UC Irvine in overtime, claim important Senior Night win

HONOLULU – Seven is heaven. 

The third-ranked University of Hawai’i women’s water polo team secured its spot alone atop the Big West standings on Saturday night, dispatching No. 7 UC Irvine on Senior Night in overtime, 16-11. Jordan Wedderburn and Bernadette Doyle had three and four goals apiece in their final appearances inside the Duke Kahanamoku Aquatic Complex as four different Rainbow Wahine recorded hat tricks to help UH win its seventh consecutive match. 

Fellow senior Morgan Rios added a goal in her final home outing for Hawai’i (16-3, 5-0 Big West) as the team moved into sole possession of first place in the conference standings. It was UH’s second time taking down the Anteaters in overtime this season, also beating UCI back on February 2 during the Triton Invitational, 18-17. 

Hawai’i held a slim 4-3 lead after one period of play, seeing Doyle record two of her four goals in the opening eight minutes to help the Rainbow Wahine bounce back after giving up the game’s first score. The Anteaters, who entered the night with a nine-match winning streak, answered back in the second period with two goals of their own while holding UH off the board to take a one-goal lead into the halftime break. 

The UCI advantage grew to 7-4 less than two minutes into the third period, seeing Lauren Hett and Sara Naulty capitalize on a pair of prime chances. Rios’ lone goal of the night helped Hawai’i shift the momentum back in the host’s favor, pulling UH back within two less than 30 seconds after Naulty found the net. 

Hawai’i came back with two more scores before the end of the frame, seeing Wedderburn and Silvanne Slot each find the back of the net to send the match into the fourth period tied, 7-7. With momentum and a packed-out crowd, the Rainbow Wahine entered the final eight minutes of regulation ready for a photo finish. 

Alia Burlock pushed UH back ahead less than a minute into the fourth period, kicking off a back-and-forth tug of war between the two Big West heavyweights. UCI answered back again and again, going into the final 90 seconds of regulation tied despite two more goals from the Rainbow Wahine. 

Doyle seemed like she would be the hero for the hosts, pocketing a no-look goal with 1:21 left to play to put Hawai’i up, 11-10. Despite Doyle’s magic, the Anteaters sent the match to extra time with a miraculous finish by Naulty tying it up just before the final buzzer. 

That’s when the Rainbow Wahine defense dialed in. 

Wedderburn put Hawai’i ahead for good with 2:19 left in the first OT period, spinning through traffic for a nifty backhanded goal. Freshman Ema Vernoux added the final of her three scores with 55 seconds remaining in the opening OT and Burlock tacked on two more goals to open the second OT period, pushing the Rainbow Wahine advantage to a comfortable four-goal margin. Doyle capped off the night with a long-range goal as the Anteaters’ last-ditch effort fell short, getting held without a score in the extra periods.

Sophomore goalkeeper Daisy Logtens had 10 saves and a steal while staying strong in the net for all 38 minutes for Hawai’i, turning up her game in the final period and overtimes to help the Rainbow Wahine complete a three-goal comeback in the second half. UH had 11 steals in total on the night, helping the hosts snag a crucial win in the conference standings.

Hawai’i hits the road for the final three matches of the regular season, facing off with No. 12 UC San Diego on Thursday before seeing No. 4 UCLA for a non-conference matchup. Cal State Fullerton will be the Rainbow Wahine’s final matchup ahead of the Big West Championships.