HILO, Hawai'i – A 2-0 first-half hole was just a tad too much to overcome as the No. 10 Hawai'i Hilo Women's Soccer team fell to No. 8 Concordia University Irvine, 2-1, Monday afternoon in Pacific West Conference play at the Vulcan Soccer Field.
Riley Walkington and Maddie Lauro netted goals in the 13th and 25th minutes, respectively, to give CUI a 2-0 lead at halftime.
The Vulcans got one score back in the second half after Teani Arakawa was fouled inside the penalty area before putting through a penalty kick in the 51st minute.
However, the Golden Eagles held on to claim the 2-1 victory to remain unbeaten in conference play.
Each team was credited with six shots on goal.
TITLE PICTURE
Hawai'i Hilo moved to No. 2 in the league standings at 18 points as CUI remained unbeaten at No. 1 with 19 points. The Golden Eagles will head to O'ahu to face Chaminade and HPU before closing at Westmont on Nov. 11.
The Vulcans still have a shot at claiming a third-consecutive PacWest Conference Championship but will need CUI to fall at least twice.
For the time being, Point Loma (5-2-0) sits at No. 3 with 15 points as Westmont (4-1-2), Azusa Pacific (4-1-2) and Chaminade (4-2-2) still lurk behind each with 14 points.
UP NEXT
Hawai'i Hilo moved to a 10-2-1 record (6-2-0 Pacific West Conference) while Concordia University Irvine moved to a 6-0-1 conference record (11-1-1 overall).
The Vulcans will have one more home contest against Azusa Pacific (Nov. 12) as they will celebrate Senior Day with Nanea Wall, Megan Donovan, Zariah Nogales, Juliet Hufford, Miya Clarke, Alyssa Padron, Filippa Graneld, Adree Johnson, Samy Sierra, Jazlynn Ellis, Kierstyn Yamamoto and Annie Haglund.
The regular-season finale will be Nov. 12 on O'ahu against Chaminade.
FIRST EIGHT IN
In the first teaser of the official NCAA Division II Regional Rankings, Hawai'i Hilo was announced last Wednesday as one of the first eight teams in contention out of the West Region. Concordia University Irvine and Point Loma joined as the other teams from the PacWest Conference.
Two more iterations will be released before the final announcement of the six postseason-bound squads at the NCAA Selection Show on Nov. 13.
The winners from each of the PacWest Conference, California Collegiate Athletic Association and the Great Northwest Athletic Conference will automatically qualify. The remaining three teams will be granted according to the regional ranks.
The top two teams will also have first choice on hosting rights for the NCAA West Regional First and Second Rounds.
TOP 10
The Vulcans slid five spots to No. 10 in the latest United Soccer Coaches Division II Top 25 Poll released last Tuesday after taking the first regular-season loss after 35 consecutive victories dating back to Oct. 3, 2021.
CUI moved to the top of the West Region rankings, swapping the Vulcans to the second slot.
Hawai'i Hilo started the season at No. 14 and reached the program's highest ranking for two weeks at No. 5.
ONLINE TICKETS
Single-game tickets are now available to be purchased online through Hawai'i Hilo Vulcans Athletics' recently launched online ticket platform in partnership with AudienceView Campus.
Tickets for all soccer, women's volleyball and men's and women's basketball home events are available at HiloAthletics.com/tickets.
