CARSON, Calif. – It was a busy night for the Vulcans’ defenders, putting in tremendous effort to ward off wave after wave of attacks from the Toros, but in the end, the UH-Hilo Men’s Soccer team fell to CSU Dominguez Hills 1-0 in non-conference play Monday evening.
Dominguez Hills out-shot UH-Hilo 29-9 as Vulcans goalkeeper Christian Souza racked up 13 saves for a new career high.
The Toros struck in the 40th minute on a shot by Brandon Lee that managed to sneak back across through three defenders to roll through the corner of the goal.
The Vulcans were credited with just two shots on goal, both taken by Colby Lee in the 26th and 90th minutes.
UH-Hilo had a last-chance opportunity after Andrew Rehedul was fouled just outside the CSUDH penalty box. Lee’s direct kick flew over the wall of defenders but bounced squarely in front of the goal for a game-sealing save.
The Vulcan’s head coach, Garrett Estrin, was able to attend both games during the road trip as he made a return to his alma mater — where he helped the Toros capture the 2000 NCAA Division II National Championship with five saves in a 2-1 four-overtime victory over Barry University.
Estrin was recognized along with other members of the 2000 team during halftime.
UH-Hilo moved to 2-2-0 while CSU Dominguez Hills moved to a 3-1-1 record.
The Vulcans will return home and have a quick turnaround for a non-conference matchup with Chaminade, Thursday, Sept. 21 at 12:30 p.m.
UH-Hilo will then head back to the continent to northern California to start Pacific West Conference play against Academy of Art (Sept. 25), Dominican (Sept. 28) and Fresno Pacific (Sept. 30).