The Hawaii water polo team had a bevy of chances in its NCAA semifinal against California at the Golden Bears’ Spieker Aquatics Complex on Saturday.

Shooting for the biggest win in program history, the Rainbow Wahine misfired, however, in a 9-6 loss that brought their landmark 2024 season to an end.

It was the last match for 13-year head coach Maureen Cole, who announced before the season she would retire to spend more time with her family. Her assistant coach, James Robinson, takes over the program this summer.

“Game aside, I’m just really proud of the Wahine team this year, this season,” a tearful Cole said via a Zoom call afterward. “This game in particular didn’t go the way we wanted it to, but they fought until the end and that’s just a testament to the people they are. A great group of girls, a group I would want to spend the last nine months with, and just really proud of their efforts.”

Big West champion UH (23-4), which authored two wins over No. 1 teams and went 1-1 against Cal in the regular season, generated plenty of power-play opportunities but struggled mightily to capitalize on them. It was just 2-for-17 scoring in man-up situations. Cal was 4-for-8 in those situations.

“The power play tells pretty much all,” said Cole, who noted her group was “a little out of sorts” and had trouble sensing when to step in to shoot. She added that an unusual pattern of exclusions on some of her key players caused her to go to a mixed-and-matched group of players in the pool in the first half.

But ultimately, it came down to not capitalizing on the team’s many power plays, she acknowledged.

“We couldn’t put the ball away very well today. They did. So, credit to Cal for doing that,” she said. “Wish this could’ve gone on another day but, proud of the team.”

The Wahine trailed 2-1 after a quarter but a series of defensive lapses led to a disastrous second quarter in which Cal scored six times to take an 8-3 lead into intermission.

“That second quarter was a killer,” Cole said.

UH held Cal (19-6) of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation to just one goal in the second half in its home pool to give itself a chance at a comeback.

Bernadette Doyle’s third goal of the game, a shot at the far post from the right wing, got UH within 9-6 with 4:27 to go.

Big West Player of the Year Bia Mantellato Dias had a prime chance to get UH within two, but she fired wide right on a penalty shot with 3:47 remaining.

Doyle’s lob goal was disallowed with 2:46 left as a whistle occurred first. Lot Stertefeld’s ensuing shot – essentially a must-make at that point – caromed off the crossbar.

Doyle said she was able to tune out Cal’s raucous home crowd and noted there were some UH fans in attendance.

“I’m so happy that I was able to be coached by Mo again, and James,” said Doyle, who came back for her senior season after spending years away from the program with the New Zealand national team. “We had a great year with the team and we just tried to make Hawaii proud, and the university. I guess we didn’t get there at the end, but we fought right ’til the end, so I guess that just shows our team this year.”

UH was attempting to advance to the first NCAA final in program history. Instead, Cal will face UCLA (25-0), which defeated Stanford 10-8 in Saturday’s first semifinal, in the Bears’ first final since 2011.

Cole, a Punahou and UCLA alumna, exits as the winningest and most successful coach in program history.

“I think Coach Robinson is the best that there is,” Cole said of the future of the program. “I think Hawaii is in phenomenal hands and that’s why I’m at complete peace walking away.”

Brian McInnis covers the state’s sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at brian.mcinnis@charter.com.

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Businesses in Hilo are now beginning the cleanup process after Friday’s rain battered Hawaii Island.

It was 90 minutes of downpour in Hilo Friday afternoon

The store Simply Sisters, located on Kamehameha Avenue, watched as water seeped into the store.

“It started flooding throughout all of downtown and throughout all the shops, so our shop actually got flooded, and so it was just me and three other girls at the time, so we had to move everything out of the window because it started to leak and we had to try and clean up the water and stop the water from coming in,” Makanoe Lagua of Simply Sisters said.

With no sandbags on hand, they had to improvise.

“We used bubble wrap until the sandbags could come later, actually, but we did the best that we could,” Makanoe Lagua said.

First Alert Weather Day: Weather alerts issued as heavy rains persist

“When the county or the mayor says be prepared, we really do need to be prepared, and this is a learning experience for us as well about having maybe our own sandbags and being more mindful,” Manager of Simply Sisters Brenda Kenui said.

“It happened really quick because I just got off the phone with her and was like, we’re gonna close up, and I said, OK, just close up, and next thing you know, I’m getting this video. I’m like, oh my gosh, I gotta get down there.”

Because of their quick thinking, none of the merchandise was damaged, and they were still able to hold their Mother’s Day sale Saturday morning.

“We also have some hula and entertainment going on as part of our Mother’s Day weekend, so we have a lot going on, a lot of specials, 30% of the bags, buy one get one half BOGO sale,” Brenda Kenui said.

A few stores down Bayfront, a longtime surf shop owner Stan Lawrence of Orchid Land Surf Shop says his experience from past storms came in handy Friday.

“I’ve been through this before: the flood of 2000. Yesterday’s storm was like a two-hour storm; the flood of 2000 was a 12-hour storm, and it was thunder and lightning all night. I happened to be down here, and I was picking all of my low stuff near the floor; I had mountains of merchandise stacked up,” Stan Lawrence said.

Meanwhile, The Hawaii County Civil Defense Agency says cleanup and damage assessment began today.

“We know some of the businesses or quite a bit of the businesses in Hilo probably had water damage from the eyewitness accounts that we had as far as what was happening down there; we know water got into a bunch of businesses, and then yesterday afternoon, we were taking quite a bit bunch of calls for people asking for sandbags so we’ll follow up with those people to see what kind of damage they had,” Talmadge Magno an Administrator of Hawaii County Civil Defence Agency said.

To report damage, fill out this assessment form on the Hawaii County Civil Defense Agency website or call (808) 935-0031.

Copyright 2024 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.

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