Hawaii worked a little overtime for its first Pascua sisters connection of the season.
Ninety minutes of regulation at Waipio Peninsula Soccer Stadium wasn’t enough to decide a winner between the Rainbow Wahine and visiting Seattle University on Monday night. But just 1 minute and 31 seconds into extra play, sophomore Kama Pascua slotted a through ball past two defenders to her older sibling Krystal, who was money to the upper opposite post for an instant 2-1 victory.
"I was thinking, ‘I don’t think I can take it much longer,’ " UH coach Michele Nagamine said. "So I asked the girls, ‘Can you please, please get this done as quickly as possible?’ "
That they did. The Rainbow Wahine (2-2) group hugged near her shot at the top of the 18-yard box when they realized they won the Ohana Hotels and Resorts No Ka Oi tournament title. Nagamine called the shot "beautiful, and a really, really warm, fuzzy moment for me."
The timing of those emotions was important. Up next at Waipio is defending national champion and top-ranked UCLA on Friday in the Outrigger Resorts Soccer Classic.
Last season, the older Pascua assisted on a goal by the younger, but not the other way around.
"It feels amazing. Honestly we stuck together that whole game," said the senior co-captain Krystal, who earned tourney MVP honors. "It was kind of sloppy and messy and crazy in regulation, but we managed to pull it out."
OHANA HOTELS AND RESORTS NO KA OI All-Tournament team
» Isabelle Butterfield, Seattle » Ryan Daniel, Hawaii » Isabella Guerry, Seattle » Storm Kenui, Hawaii » Marissa Knott, No. Illinois » Kama Pascua, Hawaii » Maggie Renfro, No. Illinois » T.J. Reyno, Hawaii » Brianna Smallidge, Seattle » Stepanie Verdoia, Seattle » MVP: Krystal Pascua, Hawaii |
UH withstood yellow cards to four players in the second half — Hayden Gibson, Kiani Halushka, Kama Pascua and Storm Kenui. The Wahine were already missing their most experienced defender, Lidia Battaglia, who was sent off for two yellows in Thursday’s 3-2 win over Northern Illinois. That forced Nagamine to drop the midfielder Kenui to center back for the suspended Battaglia. But Kenui was capable in a pinch and cleared numerous Redhawks attacks.
The bounty of cards is starting to wear on Nagamine.
"It’s tough. I thought our referees did a good job, but it’s frustrating because sometimes the … consistency in the awarding of cautionable offenses (isn’t apparent)," Nagamine said. "A verbal warning would be nice instead of just busting out the card. It really affects the game, and it changes the way people have to play, which is probably the intent of the ref giving it. But I’d like to see a little more gamesmanship."
Nagamine started sophomore Erica Young in goal. It was her first nod this season, in place of Monk Berger, who allowed nine goals over the first three games of the season.
"I wanted to make sure I came out with high energy, just get it started from the back and work our way forward," said Young, who clutched the tournament’s koa bowl trophy. "And keep everyone pumped and positive. When we’re all talking, working together, we’re all positive and that’s when … we have some of our best games."
UH took a 1-0 lead in the 23rd minute when Ryan Daniel crossed a shot into the box and the ball deflected off a Redhawks player and into the net for an own goal.
Seattle (2-2), the defending WAC champion, was held without a shot in the first half but got its breakthrough in the 60th minute on a fast-break score by Stephanie Verdoia. She beat Young far post for her third goal of the tournament.
Sophomore Lauren Takai got her first career start at midfield and played 33 minutes in place of the repositioned Kenui.