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Princeton’s Jessie Holechek scored with four seconds left to lift the Tigers to a 7-6 win over Hawaii in a consolation round match in the NCAA Women’s Water Polo Championship on Saturday in Stanford, Calif.
The Rainbow Wahine erased a two-goal deficit in the fourth quarter, with Chloe Barr scoring the tying goal with 4:32 left.
UH had a shot to take the lead with a power play with less than a minute remaining. After a timeout, Barr’s shot was saved by Princeton goalie Ashleigh Johnson. The Tigers called timeout with 22 seconds left and Holechek’s shot skipped past UH goalie Sarah Logan.
"We had a good look, but their goalie is world class," UH coach Maureen Cole said. "She just stepped up and made a great save."
Hawaii (18-10) fell to 0-2 in the tournament and will play UC San Diego for seventh place at 9 a.m. Sunday. Princeton will play UC Irvine for fifth. UCLA and Stanford will play for the title. UCLA is coached by Punahou grad and two-time Olympian Brandon Brooks.
Barr led UH with two goals and Gabi Mantellato Dias, Claire Nixon, Paula Chillida Esforzado and Zoe Respondek scored one each. Logan made three saves.
The Big West champion Rainbow Wahine will close the season against a UC San Diego team they defeated 9-8 on Feb. 21.
"We want to send our seniors out on a good note, Cole said. "They’ve had a big part in building the program … and I’m sure they’ll play with a lot of heart.
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