USAFA, Colo. — The Hawai'i women's soccer team made program history on Sunday afternoon, earning its first-ever Mountain West victory with a gritty 2-0 shutout over Air Force at Cadet Soccer Stadium.
Midfielder
Nalani Damacion provided the offensive fireworks with a second-half brace, while junior goalkeeper
Kennedy Justin delivered an incredible performance between the pipes with nine saves to anchor the clean sheet. With the victory, the Rainbow Wahine improved to 4-4-1 overall and 1-1-0 in Mountain West play, securing a split on their inaugural conference road swing.
Competing in high altitude, Hawai'i absorbed heavy pressure from the Falcons early in the opening half. Air Force created immediate danger in the second minute, but the Rainbow Wahine backline recorded a crucial team save on a strike from Lauren Steinlage to keep the match scoreless. Justin added two first-half saves of her own, including one from point-blank range in the 22nd minute to help keep it scoreless at the half.
The Rainbow Wahine came out with renewed attacking urgency in the second half, breaking the deadlock at the 52:52 mark. Midfielder
Rori Gartner delivered a precise pass to Damacion, who slotted her strike past Air Force goalkeeper Sydney Nelms to put Hawai'i ahead 1-0. The goal was Damacion's ninth career game-winner and moves her into a tie for second all-time at UH, matching Arlene Devitt (2000-03).
Trailing by a goal, Air Force launched a furious offensive response, bombarding the Hawai'i goal with 15 second-half shot attempts. However, Justin and the UH defense stood tall as the Rainbow Wahine keeper made seven saves in the second half while the 'Bows turned away five corner kick attempts.
Just as Air Force was pushing for an equalizer, Damacion delivered the knockout blow in the 82nd minute. Following a blocked shot by
Solala Nasu, Damacion gathered the loose ball and unleashed a strike from just outside the 18-yard box at the 81:30 mark that found the back of the net.
Justin finished the match with a career-high nine saves to record her fourth solo shutout of the season and the 11th clean sheet of her collegiate career. She moves into sole possession of third place on the Hawai'i career goalkeeper shutouts top 10 list, passing Kanani Taaca and Demarre Sanchez.
The triumph marks a significant milestone for
Michele Nagamine's squad, representing Hawai'i's first conference victory as a member of the Mountain West. Hawai'i will have a week off before welcoming Nevada to the UH Lower Campus Field on October 7, with kickoff scheduled for 3:00 p.m.
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