WAIPAHU—The University of Hawai'i soccer team ended up on the wrong side of the scoreboard Thursday evening in a 2-1 loss to Cal Poly at the Waipi'o Peninsula Soccer Complex.
The Rainbow Wahine (0-7-1, 0-3-0) dropped their fifth match of the year that was decided by one goal or less. The Mustangs (7-5-0, 3-0-0) have started the 2021 Big West Conference campaign with three straight wins solidifying themselves at the No. 1 spot in the league.
UH got off to a hot start as sophomore forward
Kelci Sumida notched her fourth goal of the season in the second minute of action, taking a pass from freshman forward
Krista Peterson. Sumida leads the 'Bows in goals scored and is the only student-athlete who has registered more than one goal this season. The assist by Peterson was her team-leading second of the year.
The Mustangs didn't take long to answer back as they knotted the match at 1-1 in the 20th minute beating the UH backline on a three-two breakaway. Four minutes later, the tie was broken with another goal on a crossing pass from left to right, finding Nikki Trucco bleeding past the defender to beat sophomore goalkeeper
Lauren Marquez for the 2-1 advantage.
As the match worked through a stalemate, UH found its footing on the defensive end. In the first 45 minutes, the 'Bows allowed 10 shots; in the second half, they held the most prolific scoring offense in the conference to just two shots.
The 'Bows will aim to bounce back and pick up their first win of the season with their second consecutive home match against UC Santa Barbara on Sunday at 5 p.m. HT.
#GoBows
