SANTA BARBARA – Calif. – The Hawai'i women's soccer team dug itself out of a 2-0 hole in the second half at UC Santa Barbara on Sunday, but the excitement was short-lived as the Gauchos netted the eventual game-winner less than two minutes after Hawai'i tied the score, as UCSB escaped with a 3-2 win.
 
UC Santa Barbara (10-1-1, 1-0 Big West) opened the scoring almost immediately when Kate Shoemaker scored off Maddie Gibson's corner kick just 1:37 into the game. Despite UCSB's 14-1 advantage in shots at halftime, Shoemaker's goal was the only score of the first half.
 
UCSB doubled its lead 12 minutes into the second half when the Gauchos were awarded an indirect free kick from near the penalty kick mark inside the box for what the officials called a "dangerous play" against Hawai'i. After a tap from Dakota Griggs, Sydney Magnin tucked the ball over the Hawai'i wall and past a diving Monk Berger for the 2-0 lead.
 
Hawai'i (7-3-1, 0-2 Big West), however, picked up the intensity. The Rainbow Wahine earned their first two corner kicks of the contest in the 67^th minute, and Raisa Strom-Okimoto found Tia Furuta in the box on the second opportunity, and Furuta scored her first collegiate goal to cut the Gaucho lead to 2-1. It was Strom-Okimoto's team-best sixth assist of the season.
 
The score remained 2-1 in the 85^th minute until Furuta's through-ball hit a sprinting Addie Steiner in stride, who then beat Gaucho goalkeeper Jacq Caginia to the far post from just inside the box to even the score at 2-2. The goal was Steiner's fifth of 2016 and it was Furuta's first career assist.
 
The Gauchos answered almost immediately, however. Mallory Hromatko sent a cross in front of the Hawai'i goal and Maddie Gibson went upstairs to beat Berger and give UCSB the decisive 3-2 advantage in the 86^th minute.
 
Hawai'i out-shot UCSB 9-3 in the second half, but the Gauchos ended the game with a 17-10 advantage in total shots and a 9-4 lead in shots on goal. UCSB had an overwhelming 16-4 advantage in corner kicks, and Hawai'i was whistled for offsides six times in the match.
 
Monk Berger came up with six saves for Hawai'i, including five in the first half to keep the Rainbow Wahine within striking distance.
 
Hawai'i will return home to Waipi'o Peninsula Soccer Stadium for its next four games, all against Big West foes, beginning Thursday, Oct. 6 against UC Riverside.