Perhaps UH-Hilo’s men soccer team had been looking up for too long.
Facing another Pacific West Conference front-runner ahead of it in the standings, the Vuls were due for a letdown
Point Loma scored three second-half goals Thursday in San Diego, winning 3-0 for its fifth consecutive victory and interrupting a string of inspired play for the Vulcans.
After an evenly played first half, David Achaerandio scored his 11th and 12th goals of the season and added an assist on a goal by Tim Siegfried, who drew an assist on Achaerandio’s first score.
Earlier on the four-match road trip – which concludes Saturday at Concordia – the Vulcans (3-9, 2-5 Pacific West Conference) took No. 1-ranked Azusa Pacific to overtime before losing and handed Biola its first conference loss.
Achaerandio and Siegfried put any thoughts of an upset bid to rest. The Sea Lions (10-4-1, 6-1-1) were coming off of a 9-1 victory over Chaminade, leapfrogged over Azusa to take first place in the PacWest.
“It’s pretty easy playing with David,” Siegfried said on the Point Loma web site. “We know where each other were standing, where we find each other. Just understanding each other on the field and we’re both pretty good at finishing, so it’s just a matter of time until we get our goals.”
The Vulcans, according to UHH release, had two good looks in the final 15 minutes after quick throw-ins from Gabriel Contreras, but Sea Lions goalkeeper Connor McEwan made the save each time, turning back four shots.
Point Loma outshot the Vuls 17-12, putting four shots on frame.
• WomenPoint Loma 3, UHH 0: With two first-half goals in rapid succession, the first-place Sea Lions scored as many times against the Vuls as their past seven opponents combined.Point Loma (10-4-1, 7-0-1), which is unbeaten in its past eight matches and won seven of eight, has outscored its past three opponents 12-0.
The Vuls (3-6-4, 2-3-2) allowed more than a goal for the first time in eight matches.
Hailey Clifford (24th minute) and Julia Glaser (26th) dented the Vuls with goals, and Makenna Herrero scored in the second half.
“We’re capitalizing on our chances and a lot of people are playing different positions and they are doing well,” Herrero said on Point Loma’s web site. “We’re changing things up and keeping teams on their toes.”
The Vuls, who have no goals and only a scoreless draw to show for the first three games on the road trip, were outshot 15-8, with three on goal.
Sea Lions’ goalkeeper keeper Emma Hinson came out the box in the second half and made a sliding stop to deny UHH’s Brende Yoshizumi’s breakaway attempt.
UHH keeper Bailey Cahill allowed three goals for the second time this season, making three saves.
Big win for Wahine
Hawaii came up with a huge road victory in a wild, hostile match, 3-2 at UC Davis on Thursday. The Rainbow Wahine had to rally from down 2-1 with 34 minutes left when Davis’ Janae Gonzalez put in her second penalty-kick goal of the match, and Kayla Ryan delivered with her team-best sixth and seventh goals of the season on set-ups by teammates.
“To be perfectly honest, I was just really impressed with the team and their composure and their mental toughness,” coach Michele Nagamine said in a postgame phone interview. It was such a physical game, and to get on the board first, and … to have that mental toughness to battle back from two penalty kicks, I just thought the kids responded really, really well. They never lost their focus. They kept fighting and battling for everything. We didn’t have the slow start we usually have, so I was very proud of them for that.”
UH (6-7-3, 4-1-2 Big West) matched the program best for Big West wins set last year. The Rainbow Wahine, who sit at 14 points in the standings, still have not clinched one of the four berths to the conference tournament, but they might have one by the time Sunday’s regular-season finale at Long Beach State happens based on other results around the league.
The Wahine can no longer be overtaken by Long Beach (six points), but they still have to worry about UC Santa Barbara (11 points) and UC Irvine (10 points), who both could still conceivably overtake UH with two matches left, including one against each other.
“When I look at our body of work, I’m happy. I’m happy for the team,” Nagamine said. “But we know it’s not done yet. … I’m thrilled for (the kids) that they get to be in this kind of position. We talked about how to handle pressure and looking at pressure in a different way, as more of a positive than a negative, because when you have pressure on you there’s an opportunity to do something good.”
The Wahine equalized when Kelci Sumida broke away in the 62nd minute and sent the ball across the goal to Ryan, who tapped it in at the back post.
Ryan would add a penalty-kick goal in the 75th minute when Kayla Watanabe was fouled in the box on a breakaway.
UH had to play the final nine minutes down a player when Sumida was red-carded for retaliating after a no-call on some contact. Play was already chippy and escalated from there for the final minutes, although no further cards were issued. UH’s McKenzie Moore and Emily Cottrell were yellow-carded earlier in the match, as was Davis’ Nicki Rucki.
“Anytime you have three penalty kicks in a game, that’s a pretty good indication that emotions are running high and getting a little out of control,” Nagamine said.
Sumida will be ineligible to play in UH’s game at Long Beach.
UH scored first, on Sumida’s fifth goal of the year in the 13th minute, but Davis equalized in the 37th minute on a penalty kick and it was tied 1-1 at halftime.