Hawaii soccer: Wahine depart for road with mutual shutout

In a possible farewell to game action on its campus field, Hawaii won plenty of possession and created copious opportunities. Somehow, that resulted in a scoreless draw with Sacramento State on Saturday afternoon.

UH (1-2-1) now heads for the road — a three-game swing through the Dakotas — feeling better about its lineup versatility but still searching for finishing ability. The Rainbow Wahine outshot the Hornets (1-1-1) of the Big Sky 15-4, to no avail.

“We had balls off the post, we had balls off the crossbar,” UH coach Michele Nagamine said. “It was just one of those things where, we knew this was going to be a problem. We knew were were going to be searching for that goal scoring, and offensive identity. If I look at it again, glass half-full, we had a pretty dominating offensive performance against a very organized, very compact team that did a good job of creating frustrating situations. So, it’s going to come. We’re four games in.”

The best attempt of the game for the Rainbow Wahine might’ve been at the very end of the first overtime period, when freshman defender Loren House — who made her first start at center back — nearly headed it a set piece ball. Cristina Drossos slid over to left back to accommodate her.

Rainbow Wahine nearly met the game-winner in the final seconds of OT. They head to another 10-minute OT period scoreless with Sac State. pic.twitter.com/nsI7c0SiMf

— Hawaii Warrior World (@hawaiiwworld) September 1, 2019

It was the second straight time UH went into extra periods in a scoreless game, and third straight overtime match overall.

On the plus side for UH, it picked up a second straight shutout for the defense and goalkeeper Lex Mata.

“We’re excited, we’re celebrating. A good shutout is always a great game. But we’re going to try harder next time,” said sophomore right back Natalie Dixon, who helped set a physical tone in the back line against a stubborn counterattacking team.

“I think if we win the first ball and we win the second challenge, that’s going to be a great game no matter what because then we have possession of the ball,” she said. “I think today we showed that a lot.”

Here’s #HawaiiWSOC sophomore defender Natalie Dixon after UH posted its second straight shutout, a 0-0 draw with Sacramento State. pic.twitter.com/YwnskjCSPv

— Hawaii Warrior World (@hawaiiwworld) September 1, 2019

That Dixon has been a minutes sponge back there is pretty remarkable, considering she came down with an illness in May and recovered only days before fall camp in August.

“I wasn’t sure if I was going to play this year, or redshirt, but it worked out good,” she said.

As for the field itself, it seemed to hold up pretty well through these first two weeks of play (although Nevada and Sac State still must play on Monday). About 250 fans took in the game on the Mauka side.

The City Parks and Recreation Department said during the preseason — when reports of Waipio Peninsula Soccer Stadium’s damaged field emerged — that it was confident the field would be playable again by UH’s return from its road trip in mid-September.

Nagamine is taking no chances, noting there are still unanswered questions about the field and the stands, upon which a chemical resin was applied unsuccessfully in late June.

“We’re hoping that in the time that we’re gone, (UH maintenance crews) can do a little work on our field, show it a little TLC, because is the reality is we don’t know when we’re playing yet,” Nagamine said. “We need to prepare on both sides.”

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Sacramento State 0, Hawaii 0, 2OT, FINAL

Goal scorers: No one.

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Live updates here

110th: That’s all she wrote. UH (1-2-1) takes its first draw of the season, as it was unable to capitalize on a 15-4 shots advantage. Kelci Sumida with a match-high four shots, including three on goal. Lex Mata recorded her second straight shutout.

106th: UH getting the opportunities in this period, and simply can’t put something away. A Johnson-Griggs corner kick yielded a scrum in the box … and UH had a shot either blocked or saved.

102nd: Michaela Rentner and Sumida nearly connect on a prime chance. Sumida’s look sent wide, though.

END 1ST OT

100th: UH nearly cashes in at the very end of the first OT. But nope, to a second and final 10-minute OT they go. That was Loren House on the header attempt that snuck on top of the crossbar.

96th: Sac State definitely getting the better of this extra period so far.

95th: Sac State comes VERY close to ending it, as there’s a scrum in the UH box and a shot to the far post looks like it could sneak in … but Mata falls on it for her first save of the match.

92nd: UH is back to close to its starting formation, except with Ammendolia in the midfield.

END REGULATION

90th: UH headed to overtime for the third straight match, including a second straight scoreless match. That’s despite an 11-2 shot count in regulation this time.

88th: Tokunaga gets mauled on a through ball. No call. Natalie Dixon and Sac’s Erika Munoz get into it a bit and get a mutual talking to from the ref.

87th: Sumida nearly steals a ball from the Sac State D in stride. The keeper, Fesili, has to pounce on it at the edge of the box, upending Sumida.

85th: Nagamine growing frustrated by UH taking shots that have little chance and not connecting with teammates in the final third.

81st: Sac State’s Mikayla Reed issued a yellow card for taking down Kelci Sumida on a breakaway.

75th: Holding midfielder Morgan Meza getting into some scrums. She just won a physical exchange. Meza just cranked one from 35 yards just over the crossbar.

73rd: Mandatory second-half water break has been called.

70th: Kim-Bustillos creates a good opportunity for the Hornets but it’s broken up. UH’s Emily Cottrell draws a free kick from about 30 yards. Cottrell takes it .. Sumida controls it near the left post but has her shot blocked.

65th: Sadie Lutz getting her first look today at right back, while Rentner has come back in at left forward.

62nd: Nagamine’s “Tutu Ninja,” Watanabe, nearly lobs one in but Fesili is on it. Shot count is now 7-2 in favor of UH.

60th: Kylee Kim-Bustillos, the ‘Iolani product, nearly breaks through on a counterattack. Mata just barely snuffs that out.

58th: Sac State’s Aubrey Goodwill has a free kick go on frame, but Mata leaps to take it out of the air. Mata has been busy lately.

55th: Sac State’s Julia Herrera cranks a shot wide of the UH net from inside the box. That could’ve gone in, UH a bit fortunate there.

51st minute: Watanabe nearly flicks in a ball past Fesili off a Drossos throw-in, but it goes just wide. Deutsch follows by cranking a deep shot wide.

49th: Good ball movement on O there by UH, as Izzy Deutsch lofts one into the danger zone and Madison Moore gets a head on it. It goes wide, but that was probably UH’s best look today.

48th: McKenzie Moore getting some run in the midfield to open the second half. Make that McKenzie Moore AND Madison Moore, up at forward.

46th: Mikaelah Johnson-Griggs pops a ball sky high and Kayla Watanabe wins a header to the near post … but there’s no oomph on it and Sac State’s Aaliyah Fesili is there to field it.

46th: The second half is underway.

HALF

45th: Teams go into halftime scoreless. Third straight match for UH that’s been the case; they are 1-1 in the previous ones, with both going to overtime. Just three shots attempted in that half, two by UH and one by Sac.

41st minute: Ryan crosses it low and effectively for Tokunaga, who comes sliding in, but it’s broken up.

40th minute: Some scrum action in the UH box but the Wahine get some deflections and Mata eventually clears it.

37th minute: Good time to give a shout-out to the crowd here today. Looks like about 200 again, maybe 250. Looks like a little more than appeared for the season opener vs. No. 5 USC.

36th minute: There was the Hornets’ first shot, a blistered ball cranked high off the fence facing the UH apartments. Some lucky student nearly got a prize.

~35th minute: No one’s really threatened for a while. Sac State still with no official shots recorded (two for UH).

32nd minute: Kayla Ryan, with freshly dyed pink hair, comes in at forward for Sumida. She’s been one of the most consistent players to appear off the bench through four games.

32nd minute: This might be McNamara’s first career action. Double checking … nope, she played 34 minutes against Nevada.

30th minute: Daelenn Tokunaga getting some much earlier run today (she appeared only in overtime on Thursday, and had the game-winning assist to Kelci Sumida).

28th minute: Michele Nagamine going to her bench on the other side of this break. Kylie McNamara, Natalie Daub, and Eliza Ammendolia seeing their first action today.

28th minute: A mandatory water break has been called for both teams due to the heat.

27th minute: The portable scoreboard is flickering on and off again, depending on if there’s bodies in between blocking the wireless signal from the scorers tent. This seems like a good time to mention that this is the last game planned for the UH Lower Campus field (not including Sac State vs. Nevada on Monday). But it’s an open question whether the Waipio Peninsula Soccer Stadium field will be recovered for use by mid-September as pledged by the City.

23rd minute: Kim-Bustillos and Torres-Benito started for the Hornets today.

22nd minute: Why is Sac State here? Well, like Nevada on Thursday, they have a contingent of local players. They are midfielder Skylar Littlefield (Baldwin); forward Kylee Kim-Bustillos (Mililani); and forward Shantel Torres-Benito (‘Iolani).

19th minute: Sac State has yet to record an official shot, although they’ve lofted a couple in that Lex Mata has fielded.

14th minute: Sac State (1-1) of the Big Sky is playing pretty conservatively. Really taking their time to let things develop. UH mostly content to not force the issue. The Hornets have faced two Big West teams already, losing 3-1 to UC Davis and beating Cal Poly 3-1. So this could be a valuable measuring stick game.

11th minute: On a tapped corner kick set piece, Michaela Rentner fires one into the box … just over the far upper corner.

2nd minute: UH gets an early cross from Kayla Watanabe to Kelci Sumida, fielded by the Sac State keeper.

1st minute: Freshman Loren House gets a start at center back, shifting Cristina Drossos to left back and Natalie Daub to the bench.