Kai’s OT goal gives
UH win
Hawaii coach Pinsoom Tenzing warns his players repeatedly that every team has the same number of scholarships and the Rainbow Wahine cannot take any opponent lightly, despite the win-loss record.
The Wahine (10-4-2, 3-2 WAC) had an incredible number of opportunities to put last night's Western Athletic Conference soccer match away early, but had to rely on Natasha Kai's goal 3:25 into overtime for a 3-2 victory.
Nevada (2-11-1, 0-4) was looking for its first league win and almost got it after rallying from a two-goal deficit on a pair of goals by Naomi Hernandez before 1,346 fans at the Waipio Peninsula Soccer Park Stadium.
"Nevada has improved so much in one year," Tenzing said. "They played extremely hard. All the credit goes to them.
"We missed way too many goals. We did not play smart up front. We had too many offsides and did not finish all those one-on-one situations. Those things almost came back to haunt us."
The Wahine had numerous scoring chances, with 12 shots from six different players in the first 45 minutes, but could not find the net.
Koren Takeyama's shot at 16:52 glanced off the crossbar to Robyn deHay on the right. She controlled it, sent a short back pass to the middle, but Kai had the wide-open shot dribble off the left.
Two minutes later, Kai beat Nevada's Jasmine Christian down the right side and crossed to deHay standing just outside the left post. DeHay's header bounced outside the post.
Joelle Sugai's 25-yarder from the left corner of the box off a back pass from Gabrielle Bohlman also sailed wide of the left post at 28:06.
Nevada goalkeeper Megan Tarpenning stuffed Kai in a one-on-one situation at 29:58, then did the same to Takeyama on a breakaway at 41:54.
The second half started exactly the same way, with three frustrating misses for UH in the first 10 minutes. The constant pressure finally paid off at 56:24. Kai was taken down in the penalty box by Tarpenning on a breakaway, giving UH its first penalty shot of the season. Kai was successful with a shot into the upper right corner, her 11th goal of 2004.
Takeyama finally ended her fruitless night with her third goal of the season at 64:41. She took a lead pass from Bohlman, dribbled until Tarpenning made her move, slid by the goalkeeper to the right and rolled the ball into the open net.
Nevada got on the board at 69:41. Blaine Dugan found Annie Baxter all alone on the right. The Wolf Pack's leading scorer took the ball almost to the end line and crossed it to Hernandez, who easily poked it into the net.
Following a pushing foul against Liz Lusk, Nevada tied the score at 80:38.
The free kick by Lauren Kinneman from 30 yards out went to Terran Hadlock, who one-timed the ball to Hernandez for a point-blank score.
