Waipi'o, O'ahu— For the seventh consecutive match, the University of Hawai'i soccer team played to a one-goal decision, but came up short in its match with No. 24 Washington State, 1-0 on Thursday night.
 
The Rainbow Wahine (2-5-1) have now dropped three in a row, dating back to Sept. 8 at North Dakota. The Cougars (6-1) recorded back-to-back wins against UH and Loyola Marymount, after falling to Michigan on Sept. 13. UH has yet to beat WSU in the all-time series with the Cougars improving to 7-0.
 
"Anyone who was here tonight or watching at home should be proud of this team," said head coach Michele Nagamine. "Washington State was fast and physical, but we stayed with them all night long. The scoreboard and the stats don't tell the entire story, we proved tonight we could hang with tough teams."
 
The 'Bows held the Cougars in check through most of the first half, while allowing nine shots. But in the 40th minute, WSU struck for the first and only goal. Brianna Alger hit Shayna Wieldon with a crossing pass for a quick touch, squirting the ball past senior goalkeeper Alexis Mata.
 
Even though one ball passed by Mata's defense, the five-time Big West Conference Defensive Player of the Week tallied 10 saves against the Cougars offensive attack. In total WSU registered 18 shots compared to the 'Bows' three, with 11 of those 18 counting as shots on goal.
 
UH will have a quick turnaround and finish off the Rainbow Wahine Shootout on Sunday. The 'Bows will go head-to-head with No. 5 UCLA at 3:30 p.m. HT, as WSU will play Pepperdine at 1:00 p.m. HT. The Bruins and Waves played to a 2-2 tie on Thursday.