KANEOHE, Hawai`i--Hawai`i Hilo soccer player Kayela Santiago picked a great time to score her first collegiate goal during a 2-0 season-opening win over Pace University on Saturday afternoon at Atherton Field.

The senior, who was a starter last season and played plenty as a freshman and sophomore, finally notched her first score, and added an assist for good measure. The win over the Division II team from New York gave the Vulcans a victory in their opening match for the first time since 2013.

That puts the Vulcans at 1-0, while Pace, who lost 2-1 in overtime to Hawaii Pacific on Thursday, fell to 0-2.

Santiago scored on a breakaway 11 minutes into the second half to break a 0-0 halftime deadlock. Her sliding shot bounced off the Pace goalkeeper, and then rolled into the net for the unassisted goal. That turned the tide in a match where the Vulcans couldn't get much offense going in the first 55 minutes, as UHH had two shots that just missed in the next few minutes off the foot of Bryana-Marie Ebbers.

The Vulcans kept the pressure on and scored with just four minutes left on Jamie Salas' shot, with Santiago getting the assist. The Arizona State transfer and Santiago caught Pace keeper Aisha Chauhan in a 2-on-1 breakaway, sealing the match.

"Kayela really turned it on today," said Vulcan head coach Gene Okamura. "It's hard to believe that is her first goal because she has done a lot of other great things for us."

Meanwhile, the UHH defense frustrated Pace all day long. Senior keeper Jenna Hufford recorded the shutout, with four saves as her defense allowed only seven shots on the afternoon. UH Hilo had 12 shots, six of them on goal.

"Our defense was great today," Okamura added. "Our organization was fantastic and our energy was good. Our offense was slow to find their groove, this being our first match, until they got their feel for the game. This was a good result against a good team."

The Vulcans will remain on Oahu, taking on Chaminade in a non-conference match on Monday. Start time is 1:30 p.m.