USC
Hawai'i
No. 2 Trojans Edge Host No. 4 Hawaii 7-6
March 17, 2009 | Women's Water Polo
March 17, 2009
HONOLULU, HAWAII - The No. 2 USC women's water polo team pulled off a tight road win at No. 4 Hawaii on Tuesday in Honolulu. Training in Hawaii this week, the Trojans took on the Rainbow Wahine in an MPSF matchup and outlasted their hosts behind a pair of goals from Joelle Bekhazi and Alexandra Kiss. USC improves to 15-1 overall and 4-0 in MPSF games with the win.
The Trojans stayed in stride with the Rainbow Wahine in the first period, answering every one of Hawaii's goals on scores from Joelle Bekhazi, Michelle Stein and Kelly Lucas to hold it at 3-3 until Bekhazi broke the cycle with a score to give USC its first lead, up 4-3 at 1:18 in the first.
Hawaii equalized midway through the second, and then managed to hold USC scoreless while plugging in a go-ahead score for the Rainbow Wahine just 1:25 before the half. In the third, Hawaii actually worked ahead 6-4, only to see USC tighten its defensive reins the rest of the way. Alexandra Kiss made it 6-5 Hawaii with an even score at 4:35, and then Kristen Dronberger leveled the game 6-6 with a big score for the Trojans with just 4 seconds to go in the third.
In the final period, the teams battled it out scorelessly until Stein broke the silence with her second of the day and a strike that gave USC back its lead with 1:58 remaining. Her score would hold, and kept the Trojans ahead for the 7-6 win.
#2 USC 7, #4 Hawaii 6
USC 4 - 0 - 2 - 1 = 7
UH 3 - 2 - 1 - 0 = 6
SCORING:
USC - Joelle Bekhazi 2, Michelle Stein 2, Kally Lucas, Alexandra Kiss, Kristen Dronberger.
UH - Leonie van der Molen 3, Carmen Eggens 3.
SAVES: Ilse van der Meijden (USC) 9, Serena Bredin (UH) 9.
