SAN DIEGO, California – A flash of 36 seconds made all the difference as Hawai'i Hilo Women's Soccer had its historic season come to a close Saturday afternoon with a 2-1 defeat to Point Loma in the NCAA West Regional Second Round at PLNU Soccer Field.
Filippa Graneld got the Vulcans on the scoreboard first with a laser through the left side of the net in the 28th minute on an assist by Teani Arakawa.
But similar to last week's inaugural PacWest Conference Championships title match (a 3-2 double overtime loss), the tide of momentum seemed to shift ever so slightly to the Sea Lions coming out of halftime. Then in the blink of an eye, Point Loma managed to score back-to-back goals 36 seconds apart in the 52nd and 53rd minutes with Bethany Arabe and Alyssa Ketcham both scoring and assisting one another for the equalizer and the game-winner.
The Vulcans had several late-game opportunities getting off four shots in the final 10 minutes but just couldn't quite get it through to tie the score.
"I think a little unfortunate today, like we implemented new tactics and it worked for 88 minutes, but Point Loma is a very good team; very well coached so hats off to them. They figured it out twice on us in one week," ninth-year Vulcans head coach Gene Okamura said.
Hawai'i Hilo's season closed at a 14-3-3 overall record (9-1-1 PacWest) with a runner-up finish in the PacWest Tournament and an exit in the NCAA West Regional Second Round after claiming its first-ever NCAA postseason victory in its third try.
"I mean the season was awesome," Okamura continued. "The girls performed really well. We were away from home for like five to six weeks and no one else in the country has to do those things. This is our 13th day on the road and the fact that they came and performed the way they did today is pretty impressive."
OTHER NOTES
- Filippa Graneld scored her 20th career goal to move into a tie at No. 3 all-time in the Vulcans record books — tied with Daelenn Tokunaga (20-22).
- Teani Arakawa joins Graneld as the Vulcans all-time co-leaders in assists as both finished with 21. Arakawa also set new single-season records with 34 points and 10 assists.
- Goalkeeper Phoebe Barnes made two saves and will end her career ranked No. 4 in the Vulcans record books. She also finishes at No. 4 with a 0.78 career goals against average mark.
NCAA POSTSEASON
- Defending national champion Point Loma continues on to the NCAA West Regional Championship to take on top-seeded Cal Poly Pomona.
- Sunday, Dec. 1: Regional Championship
- Saturday, Dec. 7: Quarterfinals (South Central/West)
- Friday, Dec. 13: Semifinals
- Sunday, Dec. 15: National Championship