NORTHRIDGE, Calif. – Behind another strong defensive effort and a Krista Peterson goal early in the second half, the Hawai'i women's soccer team earned a 1-0 win at CSUN Thursday to kick off its Southern California road trip.
 
UH (5-3-2, 2-1-2 Big West) finished off its fourth shutout of the season while Peterson scored the only goal of the match, striking in the 49th minute for her team-leading fifth goal of the year. The win was Hawai'i's third in the last four meetings with the Matadors and earned the Rainbow Wahine three key points to move them into a tie for fourth in The Big West standings.
 
After a scoreless first half and opening moments of the second, Peterson dispossessed a CSUN player near the top of the box and dribbled right, crossed back to her left and fired off a shot from just inside the box that got through on the far post.
 
From there, Hawai'i held off several CSUN pushes down the stretch to preserve the shutout and win. Shortly after the Peterson goal, the Matadors got two good looks at goal on a corner kick in the 50th minute, as they had a header off the corner go off the post before the follow also bounced off the frame.
 
CSUN (2-12-1, 0-3-2 Big West) also had a potential goal nullified by an offsides call in the 66th minute while UH goalie Lauren Marquez snagged several corner and free kick attempts out of the air over the final 10 minutes. The Hawai'i back line was also able to withstand a 12-6 shot advantage for CSUN in the second half to preserve the shutout.
 
The Rainbow Wahine had a handful of chances in the first half but were unable to break through, as the two teams went scoreless over the first 45 minutes. Kelci Sumida had the first quality look at goal with an initial breakaway shot that was saved by the CSUN goalie and a follow that was headed away at the goal line by a Matador defender.
 
Nohara Takayama and Bailey Faulkner also delivered shots on goal, with Takayama firing in a strike in the 33rd minute that was punched high and Faulkner getting an attempt on frame in the 41st minute. UH out-shot CSUN, 6-3, in the first 45 minutes while five of Hawai'i's six shot attempts came on goal.
 
On the season, Peterson now leads the team with 12 points, now with five goals in addition to her two assists, while the score was the sixth of her career. Additionally, Peterson set a career-high with three shots on goal while attempting a season-high four total shots. Sumida also contributed to the offensive attack, firing off three shots, two of which were on goal.
 
In goal, Marquez put together her fourth clean sheet of the season and now has 21 saves while allowing just six goals in eight matches in the net. The graduate student is now fourth in the league with four shutouts and is one of three Big West goalkeepers allowing fewer than a goal per match at 0.893.
 
UH wraps up its road trip to Southern California when it takes on UC San Diego on Sunday at 11 a.m. HT on ESPN+.