Waipahu, O'ahu—The University of Hawai'i women's soccer team ended its non-conference schedule in dominating fashion with a 4-0 victory over Grand Canyon in the final game of the Rainbow Wahine Shootout.
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After going 0-2-1 from Sept. 7 to Sept. 16, the Rainbow Wahine (5-3-1) answered with back-to-back wins, sweeping GCU and North Dakota State in consecutive days. The Lopes (3-9) fell in overtime on Thursday to NDSU, 3-2, in a very physical matchup, before getting upended by the host on Sunday.
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The scoring barrage began with sophomore midfielder
Leialoha Medeiros drawing contact inside the box on a jump ball resulting in a penalty kick opportunity. Medeiros fired a shot past the GCU keeper to the right side of the goal giving UH the lead in the 18th minute.
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For a brief moment, Medeiros held the team-lead in goals at five, breaking her tie with senior midfielder
Raisa Strom-Okimoto, but the Aiea, O'ahu native answered just two minutes later. With the help of Medeiros and freshman defender
Natalie Dixon, Strom-Okimoto sliced through the left side of the box, receiving a perfect pass from Dixon for a header moving the lead to 2-0 in the 20th minute.
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The offensive onslaught wouldn't let up in the second frame. In the 49th minute, junior midfielder
Mikaelah Johnson-Griggs blasted a straight-on winner from 15 yards out. With the game in hand, redshirt sophomore
Jenna Williams jumped into the action, firing a loose ball into the net for the fourth and final goal of the day. In all, the Rainbow Wahine outshot the Lopes 12-7, including 7-4 in the second half.
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Redshirt junior goalkeeper
Alexis Mata finished with four saves to post her second consecutive shutout. Mata's last consecutive shutouts were Sep. and Sept. 15 Â of the 2017 season, against Idaho State and Arizona State.
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UH will now open conference play on the road for a two-game set. The first stop will be at UC Irvine on Friday, Sept. 28, followed by a stop at CSUN on Sunday, Sept. 30.
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