University of Hawai'i at Manoa Athletics

Waipahu— Senior midfielder Raisa Strom-Okimoto picked up another milestone as she netted two goals in a match for the first time in her career, leading the University of Hawaii soccer team to a 3-2 win over UC Davis on Sunday night at Waipi'o Peninsula Soccer Stadium. 

 

The first 45 minutes of the match saw plenty of shots as the two squads accounted for 13 shots, including eight on goal. But the scoreless first-half struggle quickly turned into a shootout in the second half as both teams came out firing. In the end, the Rainbow Wahine were left standing, primarily due to Strom-Okimoto's timely striking. The Aiea, O'ahu native collected a header pass from sophomore midfielder Leialoha Medeiros to lob a winner over the head of the UC Davis goalkeeper. Strom-Okimoto struck again in the 55th minute with a rocket to the lower left corner, moving UH ahead, 2-0. 

 

The Aggies were not without a fight, however, and played physically throughout the second half. Their efforts were rewarded in the 66th minute when Alicia Sloss broke through with a goal to pull within one. The Bows' scoring tandem of Medeiros and Strom-Okimoto made another appearance, this time with Strom-Okimoto feeding Medeiros in-close range for what would prove to be the game winner. 

 

The Aggies gave it one more go in the 74th minute with a shot from 30 yards that bounced inside the crossbar behind redshirt junior goalkeeper Alexis Mata. With the score 3-2, the UH defense held firm and prevented the equalizer to preserve the victory.

 

The Rainbow Wahine (7-5-1, 2-2) move back to the .500 mark in Big West play with the win and improve their overall record against UC Davis to 4-3. The Aggies (4-7-2, 1-2) have now dropped three of their last four matches.

 

The 'Bows will now have an 11-day layoff between matches as they prep for their final road trip of the regular season. Next up will be a visit to Cal Poly on Oct. 19, followed by a stop at UC Santa Barbara on Oct. 21.