RAINBOW WAHINE SOCCER
CSUN tips UH for title
The Cal State Northridge's tactics worked, and Hawaii's adjustment to those tactics did not work well enough.
Kristy Krohn scored the winning goal at 78:58 to give the Matadors a 2-1 victory in the championship match of the Ohana Hotels & Resorts Invitational last night at the Waipio Peninsula Soccer Park stadium.
"We knew Hawaii was quick and had a passing game, so we were trying to put the ball over the top," said CSUN coach Keith West, whose team improved to 6-4.
The Matadors offense, especially in the second half, was almost entirely long ball. Their strikers and overlapping midfielders had very good speed, creating a number of dangerous runs at the UH goal when the Wahine offside trap did not work.
UH coach Pinsoom Tenzing, aware of the Matadors' tendencies, tweaked his defensive strategy in practice this week.
"We knew they would go with the long ball and we changed our strategy in practice," Tenzing said. "We played way up today. What I worry about when we make a change is whether or not everyone understands.
"I felt with their long balls down the flanks that we could chase them down, but our diagonal support didn't come soon enough."
Krohn, running free in space on the left side, received a long pass from Tessa Binkley. As UH goalkeeper Kori Lu came out to meet the challenge, Krohn took an extra step switching the ball from her left to the right foot and poked it into the net from 4 yards out.
The Matadors took advantage of a defensive lapse to take a 1-0 lead at the 4:43 mark.
UH goalkeeper Kori Lu punted the ball to midfield, where it was sent right back toward the Wahine goal by a CSUN defender. Nalena Betancourt chipped the ball over the UH defense to an advancing Kristel Phillips.
Phillips went one on one with Lu, who was still well off the goal line. As Phillips shot, Lu dove and managed to get her right fist on the ball, but not enough to keep it from dropping in the net.
The Wahine (6-3-2) had opportunities early, but their shots were right at Matador goalkeeper Kellie Drenner.
Taryn Fukuroku received a through pass from Ambree Ako at 26:11. Fukuroku, seeing Drenner come off the line, tried to chip a shot over her head, but pushed the ball wide right. At 27:28, Jessica Domingo sent Ako into the clear with a soft pass, but Ako's line shot from the top of the box was wide left.
Drenner's toughest save came 5:29 before the half, when Koren Takeyama crossed a ball from the left. Drenner, moving across the goal mouth to the right, had to make a diving one-hand stop of Ako's header aimed for the left post.
The Wahine, who had trouble with their short passing game in the first half against a Matador defense that clogged the middle, went outside more in the second half.
Kelli-Anne Chang unloaded a 22-yarder at 64:36 that Drenner punched over the crossbar. One of the wildest scrambles in front of the net this season ensued on Chang's corner kick.
The ball came in and Kelly McCloskey's head shot hit the crossbar. Tehane Higa then headed the rebound, but it was blocked by a defender. Higa headed the ball again, and again a defender blocked it.
Tenzing told his players to use the flanks more in the second half and it paid off at 67:20.
Taryn Fukuroku took a loose ball, angled in from the left and beat a diving Drenner with a shot on the ground from 8 yards out that snuck inside the near post.
"Once again, we have to put away our chances," said Tenzing.