WAIPAHU, O'ahu — An offensive explosion in the second half powered the University of Hawai'i women's soccer team to a 4-2 win over UC San Diego in a Big West match on Thursday at Waipi'o Peninsula Soccer Stadium.
 
After UC San Diego took a 1-0  lead into halftime, the Rainbow Wahine (3-3-3, 2-1-1 Big West) poured in four goals in the second 45 minutes and jumped to the top of the conference standings with the program's first win over the Tritons (1-6-3, 0-1-1).
 
UH midfielder Eliza Ammendolia tied the match with a long-distance strike less than seven minutes into the second half. Sophomore forward Amber Gilbert raced past the UCSD back line for goals in the 70^th and 76^th minute to push the Rainbow Wahine ahead and junior forward Nicole Ando capped the UH outburst with her first goal of the season.
 
With the win, Hawai'i moved into first place in the conference standings with seven points, passing UC Riverside (2-1, six points). UCSD entered the match 3-0 in the series with UH, including a 3-1 win last season in La Jolla, Calif.
 
The Rainbow Wahine also surpassed their goal total for the 15-match 2022 season in raising this season's tally to 18 through nine matches. UH took 15 shots, seven on goal, to UCSD's 10 and Rainbow Wahine goalkepper Sophie Augustin finished with four saves, including a diving deflection off a free kick in the first half.
 
Gilbert posted her second brace of the season and has a team-high six goals this season and 10 in her career. Ammendolia's goal into the top right corner of the goal marked her seventh career goal and she posted her eighth career assist on Gilbert's first goal.
 
Ando scored the second goal of her UH career off an assist from freshman Riley Simpson, becoming the 15^th and 16^th Rainbow Wahine players to record a point this season.
 
After being shutout for the first time this season in a 1-0 loss at UC Riverside on Sunday, Hawai'i went another 45 minutes without a goal and UCSD took the lead in the 30^th minute when Audrey Reed's pass hit off the shoulder of Raquel Kalpakoff and into the goal.
 
Ammendolia's blast from some 30-yards out tied the match and she helped set up the go-ahead goal with a lead pass to Gilbert, who sped past a UCSD defender and sent a sliding shot past the goalkeeper.
 
About six minutes later, Gilbert collected the ball on the defensive end and again blazed through the UCSD defense and drilled her second goal to extend the UH lead.
 
Ando, who played with Gilbert at Mililani High School, got on the end of cross from Simpson, who earned the first assist of her career.
 
UCSD's Kennedy Carter scored in the 87^th minute to account for the final margin.
 
The Rainbow Wahine close their homestand on Sunday against defending Big West tournament champion UC Irvine (3-4-3, 0-0-2) at WPSS. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m.