DAVIS, Calif. – Behind a shutout and an early goal, the Hawai'i soccer team kept its Big West postseason hopes alive with a 1-0 win at UC Davis on Thursday.  
 
Nalani Damacion provided all the offense the Rainbow Wahine would need with a ninth-minute goal while Kennedy Justin and the UH back line put together the team's seventh clean sheet of the season to help the 'Bows move into a tie for seventh in the conference standings.
 
Hawai'i currently has 10 points in the Big West standings, in a tie with Long Beach State and three points behind sixth-place Cal State Bakersfield. The top six teams at the end of the regular season qualify for the Big West Championship.
 
The Rainbow Wahine didn't waste any time getting on the board. Damacion delivered her third goal of the season with a right-footed strike at the 8:13 mark off an assist from Amber Gilbert to make it 1-0 early on.
 
UH would take that lead into the break thanks to a trio of Kennedy Justin saves that helped keep the Aggies off the board. The 'Bows continued their strong play after halftime, dominating possession even with the one-goal lead. UH out-shot UC Davis 15-9 for the match, including an 11-4 advantage after halftime to help close out the victory.
 
It's the sixth time this season that Hawai'i has scored first in a match, while each of the team's four wins have been shutouts. UH is 4-1-1 on the season when scoring first in a match compared to 0-5-4 when opponents strike first.
 
Additionally, UH's seven shutouts on the season surpasses last year's total and is the most in a season since 2016.
 
Damacion, who tied a single-season school record with seven game-winners last year, notched her first of the 2025 season to put her at eight for her career. The sophomore moved into a tie for third in program history in game-winning goals, matching Tiana Fujimoto (2011-15).
 
Justin recorded her second shutout of the season and seventh of her career, moving the sophomore into a tie for seventh all-time at UH. Midfielder Izzy Ayala once again played the full 90 minutes, putting her consecutive minutes played streak at 1,002 dating back 12 matches to a Sept. 4 match at Sacramento State.
 
The Rainbow Wahine close out the road trip with another crucial match at Cal State Bakersfield on Sunday at 4 p.m. HT (ESPN+).