HONOLULU — In her final regular-season road match for the UC Santa Barbara Women's Water Polo team, redshirt senior and team co-captain Cami Mras continued her swan-song season with a hat-trick at the top-ranked team in the conference, No. 6 Hawai'i. The Gauchos dropped their game at the preseason Big West favorite Rainbow Wahine, 18-4, though Mras' three goals were not the only silver lining. Keira Wall faced a pair of penalty shots in the first half but was not beaten by either, and the second half of Saturday's contest was an all-around better showing for the Blue and Gold. Lydia Soderberg was in goal for those final 16 minutes and made five saves to just six goals against her.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Despite Wall's intervention in the two first-half penalty shots for the Gauchos, the first half ended with the hosts ahead by a 12-0 scoreline.
 
Things were better after halftime though, as Mras put home the first two goals of the second half (from either team). Her first came on Santa Barbara's first possession of the third quarter, and the second came just about 90 seconds later, when she made the most of a six-on-five powerplay opportunity. The Gaucho defense was stronger too, keeping Hawai'i off the board for the first six and a half minutes of the third quarter, though three late goals put the Rainbow Wahine ahead by a 15-2 score heading into the final frame.
 
The hosts scored the first two goals of that final quarter, though only one of them outside of the final two minutes. In fact, both teams scored twice in the final 120 seconds of action at the Duke Kahanamoku Aquatic Complex, with Eliza Harlow joining Mras on the scoresheet for Santa Barbara.
 
UP NEXT
The Gauchos return home for one final match this season, hosting No. 15 UC San Diego next Saturday, April 4 at 12 noon from Santa Barbara High School. Saturday is Senior Day, as Santa Barbara will celebrate their graduating captain, Cami Mras.