HONOLULU – The Hawai'i soccer team kept its momentum rolling on Thursday, delivering a clinical second-half offensive explosion to shut out New Mexico State 3-0 in the OUTRIGGER No Ka Oi opener at the UH Lower Campus Field.
With the victory, the Rainbow Wahine extended their winning streak to three matches and have now outscored their opponents by a combined 12-0 margin over that spectacular stretch. It's the most goals that UH has scored in a three-match stretch since 2007 and the first time since the 2007 season as well that the 'Bows have won three consecutive matches by multiple goals.
The opening half was a physical, defensive stalemate as both teams searched for rhythm on the pitch. The Bows threatened early, with senior forward
Anuhea Aluli firing three shots in the first 11 minutes, including a dangerous 11th-minute attempt that was saved by Aggies goalkeeper Karolanne Lafortune. Hawai'i's midfield and defense did a stellar job of limiting opportunities, keeping New Mexico State (1-5-0) without a single shot on target and holding them to just two off-target attempts in the first 45 minutes.
The Rainbow Wahine (3-3-0) finally broke the deadlock immediately after the intermission, scoring just 77 seconds into the second half. At the 46:17 mark, Aluli struck off precision passes from
Montana Longcrier and
Rori Gartner and calmly slotted her strike into the back of the net to put Hawai'i up 1-0. The goal was Aluli's team-leading sixth of the season, and marked her fifth straight match with a point making her the first UH player to do so since 2012 (Tiana Fujimoto).
With the momentum firmly in their favor, the Bows continued to put high pressure on the Aggies' backline. In the 76th minute, Longcrier collected her second assist of the night, combining with
Mia Hashimoto to find junior midfielder
Jas Cayetano, who drove a shot past Lafortune at the 75:34 mark to double the lead to 2-0.
Hawai'i added the exclamation point in the 82nd minute when senior
Tatum Porter capitalized on an unassisted opportunity. Porter picked up a misplay by the Aggies' goalkeeper and finished off a tough angle at the 81:58 mark to extend the cushion to 3-0, scoring her third goal of the season.
The Rainbow Wahine back line put together their third consecutive clean sheet, holding NMSU without a shot on goal and just five total attempts. Goalkeeper
Kennedy Justin earned her second solo shutout of the season and the ninth of her career, moving her into a tie for fifth-most all-time at UH.
The 'Bows wrap up nonconference play on the final day of the OUTRIGGER No Ka Oi Sunday against Washington State at 4 p.m. on the UH Lower Campus Field.
