They changed the script, but not the result.
They changed the script, but not the result.
Small steps forward perhaps, but at least the senior-laden men’s soccer team at the University of Hawaii Hilo was able to salvage a measure of respect toward the end of its 3-1 Pacific West Conference season-opening loss Saturday afternoon to visiting Notre Dame de Namur.
Alejandro Patino scored on a one-touch, well-placed cross from Cristian Ruelas in the 75th minute to prevent another scoreless game, but it may not have been as bad as the score and other early season scores might indicate.
“That’s a good team,” said Notre Dame de Namur coach B.J. Noble, “and I felt good for us in our first match on a kind of choppy field, but we both had to play on it.
“(The Vulcans) are kind of searching for their identity, I think, against some opponents they will be really direct and defensive, other times they will open up. I think once (UH-Hilo director of soccer Lance Thompson) he has a little more time with them, they will be find; I’ll be interested in seeing their scores in the next few weeks.”
The Vulcans are now 0-1 in conference play and 1-4 this season, with three of those defeats being shutouts. For the first time, they scored in a defeat. Small consolation for the coach.
“I don’t think it’s a matter of finding our identity,” Thompson said, “I have a pretty good idea of what we have here, this was a matter of athletes in athletic contests; we came out slow at the start and let me be careful and say the four defenders we started were not at their best, but we changed out three of them and at that point, things started improving a bit.”
But it is still a defeat for a Vulcans team that didn’t show its offensive skills until the final 15 minutes.
Patino’s goal might have been the prettiest of the day and at the end, Thompson was able to build some experience in goal by playing junior Cassidy Dixon, from Pahoa, in goal the whole second half.
“We need to get back to playing the way we need to play to win soccer games,” Thompson said.
It won’t take long to see if that happens. UH Hilo hosts Fresno Pacific Monday, 12:30 for the women’s game and 3 p.m. for the men’s game.