STOCKTON, Calif. - The No. 9 Pacific women's water polo team completed an unbeaten home schedule with an 8-7 win over Santa Clara Saturday.
Kyra Christmas and Mariana Duarte posted hat tricks for the Tigers while Karolina Hlavata and Viktoria Tamas also scored.
The Tigers entered the game unbeaten in four games against unranked teams, winning by an average score of 16-5, but the Broncos pushed the Tigers by opening with two power-play goals and coming back from down four with the game's final three goals.
The Tigers wrap the regular season at 17-8 overall, 6-1 in Golden Coast Conference play. Santa Clara falls to 8-18 overall and 3-4 in GCC play.
Duarte opened the scoring just 21 seconds into the game with a cross-cage goal. But the Broncos answered back with a 6-on-5 goal from Cathy Cantoni. Cantoni gave Santa Clara a 2-1 lead with 1:52 to go in the first on another power-play goal before Hlavata tied the game at 2-2 from distance off an assist by Aelish Guinn.
In the second quarter, Duarte tallied from five meters away for a 3-2 Tigers lead, and Christmas capped a Tigers' power play with a goal from the perimeter. But Santa Clara responded as Lauren Paxton's shot from four meters away to the far side had enough power behind it to trickle in off the hands of Tigers keeper Alexis Hollinrake.
The Broncos tied the game at 4-4 Hailey Eberle also powered the ball off the hands of Hollinrake and in with 2:50 to go in the first half.
Pacific went back in front with 2:31 left in the half as Christmas restarted quickly after a SCU exclusion and hit the back of the net for her second goal of the game.
The Tigers defense clamped down in the third quarter, holding Santa Clara without a goal, as Pacific put up a 12:43 shutout streak. Christmas capped the hat trick for a 6-4 lead on the Tigers first possession of the quarter, and Duarte completed her hat trick as the Tigers led by three. Tamas tallied off a Christmas assist with 1:51 to go in the quarter as Pacific led 8-4 headed into the fourth.
The Broncos pulled within three on a power play goal from Annie Eldredge, with Hollinrake and a defender getting a piece before the ball carried over. Hannah Buck finished from inside the two meter with 5:00 to go in the fourth with a backhand off an entry pass from Susan Providenza.
Providenza tallied with 34 seconds to go to pull within 8-7, and the Tigers ran the clock down and dumped the ball into the corner. But the officials put two seconds back on the clock for the last Santa Clara possession. Maggie Oys attempted a shot from mid-pool, which the Tigers defense got a hand on and Hollinrake corralled as the horn sounded.
Hollinrake finished with six saves and two steals. Seniors Catie Mahnke and Ellen Tiedemann each posted steals in their final regular season home games at Chris Kjeldsen Pool.
The Tigers will be the second seed at the GCC tournament next weekend at Santa Clara. Pacific will face Fresno Pacific at noon on Friday. Santa Clara will host the 2017 Golden Coast Conference Championship at Sullivan Aquatic Center.
