Off and running, the youthful Hawaii Hilo women’s soccer squad kept their forward momentum rolling Saturday afternoon when they defeated Academy of Arts University 2-0 on the UHH baseball outfield to remain an early-season force in the Pacific West Conference.
Off and running, the youthful Hawaii Hilo women’s soccer squad kept their forward momentum rolling Saturday afternoon when they defeated Academy of Arts University 2-0 on the UHH baseball outfield to remain an early-season force in the Pacific West Conference.
The win was the second clean sheet at home already this season, following a 1-0 win over Notre Dame de Namur two weeks ago. The Vulcans are feeling good about themselves with a 2-1 conference record before a three-games-in-four-days road trip to California this week.
The UH men, with 15 seniors on the roster, continued to struggle, losing 2-1 in the second overtime to drop their record to 0-3 in the PacWest and 1-5 over all.
The Vulcans again gave up an early goal, the ninth time this season —on 12 goals allowed — an opponent has scored in the first half of the 12 goals UH Hilo allowed. But this time, there was answer. Freshman forward Trenton Hooper worked himself free in front of the goal but his shot caromed off goalie Kevin Mendez and fell to Cristian Ruelas who put it away in the 28th minute to draw even at one goal apiece.
Minutes later Hooper almost had one for the books when he spotted Mendez a bit high on his line and lofted a shot goalward from a few strides passed the midfield line. The shot carved a pretty arc and would have scored but it carried just over the crossbar.
Academy of Arts finally closed out the rain-drenched match at 104 minutes when Justin Erhunmwunsee collected a rebound on a shot from Patrik Haley on a scramble in front of the goal and put it past Joshua Jasper.
The Vulcan women scored both their goals in the second half, the clincher coming in the final 30 seconds when a sharp-eyed Danika Steele, a freshman forward from Rancho Buena Vista, Calif., noticed a quick whistle by the official on a free kick from 25 yards out on the right side. The Urban Knights were still forming their wall when play was whistled in, goalkeeper Maggie Alikpala — inserted in the first half when starter Morgan Wirz was forced to leave the game with a twisted knee — was yelling instructions to her defense.
“It was a quick whistle and it didn’t look like they were ready all the way,” Steele said. “Coach was saying, ‘Knock it in,’ so I took the opportunity and tried to get it in the (far) corner.”
That’s exactly what happened, with Alikpala backpedaling to her right in a futile attempt to get in position.
“I can’t remember the last time we scored on a free kick,” said UHH soccer director Lance Thompson, “but she almost did the same thing against Simon Fraser. This time she was ready.”
Abcde Zoller opened the scoring and extended her streak of goals to three consecutive games when she feasted on an Academy of Arts defense that had been pulled out of shape by a run down the right side from freshman Megan Langhben, a freshman defender who overlapped on a quick change of possession and centered a pass that skipped by the goal and onto the feet of Jennifer Mendez, the junior midfielder.
Mendez spotted Zoller crashing toward the goal, poked the ball to her and Zoller one-timed it in the back of the net behind backup goalkeeper Maggie Alikpala for the 1-0 lead in the 58th minute. Alikpala had come on just before the end of the first half when starter Morgan Wirz twisted her knee on a save.