UH-Hilo’s women’s soccer team kicked any thoughts of another October meltdown to the curb, and it did so quickly.
Jaimie Salas and Lucy Maino, who doesn’t just score on set pieces, netted goals in the first 15-plus minutes Tuesday night, and the Vulcans earned a quality home win any way you cut it, beating Biola 2-0 at Paiea Stadium in Keaau.
UHH (7-2-2, 4-1-1 Pacific West Conference) pulled into a second-place tie with the Eagles (6-4-3, 4-1-1) and bounced back from a dispiriting double-overtime loss last Thursday to Concordia to open a four-game homestand. The defeat probably brought up some bad memories for the Vuls, who got off to fine start to their 2017 campaign, only to suddenly stop scoring and see their season go in the tank.
That wasn’t a problem Tuesday night as the Vulcans wasted little time in putting the pressure on the Eagles.
Salas gathered a rebound that bounced off two of players and flicked it into the goal, straight on from 13 yards out, before many fans had settled into their seats at 2:45. It was the senior’s third goal of the season.
Just past the 15th minute, the Vulcans scored in a way that Biola likely didn’t expect. Maino dribbled the ball down the right sideline and stopped and launched a shot from 30 yards out. The ball sailed over the head of Biola goalkeeper Viviana Poli and into the net, giving Maino her fourth goal.
UH-Hilo only had one more shot on goal in the first half, and Biola had four—two of which had to be saved by UHH keeper Bailey Cahill.
The Vulcans kept the pressure on early in the second half, firing three shots (two on goal) in the first 15 minutes at new Eagle keeper Alyssa Joel. It took 19 minutes for Biola to get a shot in the second half, saved by Cahill.
• Biola men 4, UHH 0: Leo Thompson scored twice as the Eagles pulled away with three second-half goals.
The Vulcans (3-8, 2-4), who had won two of their last three matches, had just two shots in the match against a stingy Eagle defense. Biola (6-6-1, 4-2) finished with 21 shots, 10 of them on goal.
Golf
UHH junior Warren Miller shot a 2-under par 70 on the final day of the Dixie State Regional Preview in Utah.
Miller finished at 2-under 142 for the tournament, good enough for 15th in the large field – there were 27 teams and 135 players at the Preview at The Ledges, which will be the same course that the West/Southwest Super Regional tournament will be played on in May.
Jarod Kinoshita came in at 2-over 146 as the Vulcans improved seven shots from Monday to Tuesday, finishing 16th at 15-over.
Taylor Patrick (79-72–151), Andrew Otani (77-76–153) and Evan Merrier (78-77–155) also teed off for the Vuls.