UH tops No. 5 ASU, remains unbeaten

The Hawaii water polo team dropped in the national rankings slightly this week, from a tie for sixth to No. 7.

But the Rainbow Wahine figure to move up after defeating No. 5 Arizona State 10-7 at the Duke Kahanamoku Aquatic Complex on Saturday. Senior attacker Irene Gonzalez scored four times and UH (4-0), off to its best start to a season since 2010, takes its unblemished record into a matchup at No. 3 UCLA on Friday.

“I guess this win means we are a lot more talented than we think we are, and if we work together and play together, we can beat anyone,” Gonzalez said. “So for next week, we play against UCLA, this gives us confidence — hey, we beat No. 5, by three goals. They were ahead of us. We can beat No. (3). Let’s go get it.”

Coach Maureen Cole was concerned about some lackluster practices during the week coming off convincing wins over ranked teams Marist and San Diego State in the Rainbow Invite to begin the season the previous weekend. But her team came out with energy, jumping out to a 2-0 lead.

This one, unlike the games in the opening tournament, was tight the whole way.

Alba Bonamusa Boix bounces in a penalty shot to give No. 7 #HawaiiWWP a 2-0 lead on No. 5 Arizona State at the Kahanamoku Aquatic Complex. pic.twitter.com/d6XwrynVhK

— Hawaii Warrior World (@hawaiiwworld) January 26, 2019

“That’s why we play, for those games,” Cole said. “I think it’s fun and I like to see (and) get to know this team, our personality and who really plays well in the moment. It’s fun, that’s why we do it.”

Senior Femke Aan added two scores.

After the Sun Devils (1-1) scored early in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 7, the Wahine got consecutive goals from Carla Abellan, Carmen Baringo and Maxine Schaap to close it out.

“I was a little scared because I knew they were going to go like 200 percent in the last quarter, and more, when they tied,” Gonzalez said. “They were like, ‘come on people.’ But I look around me and see all my teammates ready to play and go, and get ahead of them. We did, by one and then two, and we kept going. We played better in defense. More than 100 percent. We were so focused, helping back, and not getting them those shots easily. That makes us feel good so we can go on offense, be patient and work it.”

Among the All-American’s goals were a faked power shot into a lob over the ASU goalkeeper, and a basketball-style alley-oop from Abellan for the water polo equivalent of a dunk. Gonzalez said they’ve practiced that.

All-American Irene Gonzalez lobs in her fourth goal of the match on a power play. No. 7 #HawaiiWWP leads No. 5 Arizona State 7-6 in the third quarter pic.twitter.com/wl6gep7dma

— Hawaii Warrior World (@hawaiiwworld) January 26, 2019

“We knew that was a possibility with this team, that the post may be open,” Gonzalez said.

Saturday was the program’s first win over a top-five team since defeating ASU last season.

“(UH) is a good team. This was a good trip for us,” ASU coach Todd Clapper said. “Hawaii, for sure they have the players to contend with most of the teams, if not all of the teams in the country.” He added that his team and UH exist in the tier of programs that would be considered for an at-large NCAA berth should they not win their respective leagues, the MPSF and Big West.

The Wahine were still without their No. 2 offensive option, center Elyse Lemay-Lavoie, who is with the Canadian national team in Brazil, but she’s expected back soon.

Of next week’s trip to Westwood, Cole said, “It’ll be a great challenge for us. They’re a really good defensive team. It’s so hard to score against them, and they’re always fast and discipline. We haven’t been there since we left the (MPSF). I’m excited to go back to my alma mater and see everyone. But it’s going to be another good challenge early in the season against a great team. We really are playing four really good games that week, not just Friday night (Loyola Marymount and Fresno State on Saturday, UC San Diego on Sunday). We’ve got a lot of good competition.”

Here’s some photos from the ASU game: