[UH SOCCER ]

Rainbow Wahine earn
season’s first victory

The Hawaii Rainbow Wahine picked up their first victory of the season last night with a 2-1 overtime win against UC Santa Barbara at Santa Barbara, Calif.

The game-winner came 53 seconds into the first extra period when junior striker Natasha Kai rammed the ball into the upper right-hand corner of the goal from the top of the penalty box with her right foot.

Junior midfielder Seline Williams set up the shot by heading a bouncing ball accurately forward to Kai.

"We played really, really hard against a beautiful passing team. UCSB had target players up front they used constantly. They played better than us in the first half as we were caught ball-watching," said UH coach Pinsoom Tenzing.

The Gauchos (1-2) broke a scoreless tie at 48:55 when Cinthia Ruiz lofted a shot that dipped in under the bar at the center of the goal. Her attempt was set up by Chandi Bickford, a King Kekaulike graduate, who passed the ball into the box from the left side and had it bound off a UH defender to Ruiz, who was wide-open.

The Wahine (1-1-1), outshot 9-2 in the first half, unleashed 13 shots to 11 by the Gauchos after intermission and wasted little time tying the score.

Freshman striker Koren Takeyama made a penetrating run into the box from the left side, but her shot rebounded off a defender to Gabrielle Bohlman. The freshman striker controlled the ball and drilled it inside the right post with her left foot in the 52:07.

"In the second half we had some young kids like Bohlman that played outstandingly well," said Tenzing.

"Jessica Domingo (a freshman midfielder) made everything happen by pressuring the ball, distributing the ball well and fighting for the ball in the air. Kelly McCloskey (sophomore midfielder) did a creditable job filling in for Natalie Groenewoud (injured ankle).

"We wore them down in the second half by controlling the ball more."

Wahine junior goalkeeper Mahie Atay was credited with six saves

Hawaii plays at Southern California tomorrow and finishes the road trip at Loyola Marymount on Sunday.