No. 5 UCLA tops UH in women's soccer at Waipi'o
By Brandon Masuoka
Advertiser Staff Writer
After an inspiring start, the University of Hawai'i women's soccer team stumbled in the second half against fifth-ranked UCLA last night.
Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser
Sarah-Gayle Swanson and Nandi Pryce each scored second-half goals to lead the Bruins past the Rainbow Wahine, 2-0, in the Outrigger Hotels & Resorts Soccer Classic at Waipi'o Peninsula Soccer Stadium.
UH's Natasha Kai, left, received a yellow card for running into UCLA goalkeeper Sarah Lombardo in the first half.
UCLA improved to 4-1 and took home the tournament championship. Hawai'i lost its fourth game in a row and dropped to 1-4-1.
"We're going to have to work for the full 90 minutes," Hawai'i defender Jessica Uecker said. "We can't let down."
UCLA cruised behind its tough defense and shackled Hawai'i strikers Arlene Devitt and Natasha Kai.
Hawai'i's first shot came 74 minutes into the game.
"UCLA was not tested tonight," Hawai'i coach Pinsoom Tenzing said. "I think the picture would have been different if we put the ball behind their defense. Our quality of passes was not good tonight."
Hawai'i designed a new attack especially for the Bruins that was supposed to utilize the speed of Devitt and Kai.
Tenzing said he wanted Hawai'i players to drop passes between the last wall of UCLA defenders and its goalie, and allow Devitt and Kai to race to the ball.
UCLA countered with its own plan by pressuring Hawai'i passers and swarming around Devitt and Kai who never got their trademark breakaway goal attempts and were frustrated by the defense.
"We were concerned about (Devitt and Kai) going into the game," UCLA coach Jillian Ellis said. "We discussed how to play against them. I knew we had our work cut out for us."
UCLA scored first on Swanson's goal at 49:48.
Pryce scored UCLA's second goal at 67:11.
