HILO, Hawai'i – Grace VerHage (Otsego, Mich./Otsego HS), Filippa Graneld (Stockholm, Sweden/Stockholms Idrottsgymnasium) and Brende Yoshizumi (Kapolei, Hawai'i/Kamehameha Schools Kapalama) each netted goals to help the 15th-ranked Hawai'i Hilo women's soccer team bounce Dominican, 3-1, Monday afternoon in the Pacific West Conference opener at the Vulcan Soccer Field.
The Vulcans got on the board first in the 25th minute with some nifty passing from Daelenn Tokunaga (Waipahu, Hawai'i/Pearl City HS) and Filippa Graneld (Stockholm, Sweden/Stockholms Idrottsgymnasium) to set up VerHage for her fourth goal of the season on a 50-footer.
Both teams mustered just one shot on goal the rest of the first half as the score remained until early in the second half when Kayla Kunihisa (Waipahu, Hawai'i/Maryknoll School) poked the ball away from a Penguins player deep in their own territory. After crossing the ball in, Tokunaga again set the score up and dropped it off to Graneld for the 20-yard score.
But Dominican stayed within striking distance with a score less than 10 minutes later as Jackie Lancaster was able to sneak her way through and send a lined cross off Alison McNeal's foot for the score to make it a 2-1 game in the 56th minute.
With time winding down, the Vulcans re-gained the two-score advantage after orchestrating another display of passing as Alyssa Padron (San Pedro, Calif./Palos Verdes HS) sent a pass down the line for Nanea Wall (Kealakekua, Hawai'i/Konawaena HS), whose cross-shot deflected off the Penguins keeper's hands toward a perfectly placed Yoshizumi to knock the ball in.
Lolo Retsky (Calabasas, Calif./Sierra Canyon School) started in goal for the Vulcans and made three saves as she improved to 6-0-1.
UH Hilo totaled seven shots on goal as it was the third game this season it totaled three scores.
What's Next
Hawai'i Hilo improved to 6-0-1 overall and starts PacWest play 1-0 while Dominican fell to 2-3-3, 0-1-0 PacWest.
The Vulcans wrap up their first home stand this Saturday, Oct. 1 against Academy of Art (0-1-0 PacWest, 0-8-0 overall) at 12:30 p.m.
For Saturday's soccer doubleheader, the first 100 University of Hawai'i at Hilo students who attend will receive a voucher for a free drink and pizza slice from concessions.
The Penguins travel to O'ahu to play Hawai'i Pacific and Chaminade this week.
