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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Saturday, September 16, 2006

Chang's OT goal lifts Rainbows, 1-0

By Leila Wai
Advertiser Staff Writer

RAINBOW WAHINE SOCCER SCHEDULE

All times local

September

OHANA Hotels & Resorts Soccer Invitational

21—DETROIT, 7 p.m.

25—CAL STATE NORTHRIDGE, 5 p.m.

October

1—at San Diego, 1 p.m.

3—at Loyola Marymount, 4 p.m.

6—at Idaho, 3 p.m.

8—at Boise State, 1 p.m.

13—LOUISIANA TECH, 7 p.m.

15—UTAH ST., 5 p.m.

22—SAN JOSE ST., 5 p.m.

27—at Nevada, 7 p.m.

29—at Fresno St., 2 p.m.

November

Western Athletic Conference Tournament

at Reno, Nev.

2—Opening round, tba

3—Semifinals, tba

5—Championship, tba

SCHEDULE:

Outrigger Hotels & Resorts Soccer Shootout

Yesterday's result

Hawai'i 1, Cornell 0 (OT)

Today's match

Cornell (1-3-1) vs. San Francisco (2-4-0), 7 p.m.

Tomorrow's match

Hawai'i (5-2-1) vs. San Francisco, 5 p.m.

WHERE: Waipi'o Peninsula Soccer Stadium, Waipahu

ADMISSION: Free

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With two seconds left in the first overtime period, Kelli-Anne Chang, an "honorary captain," scored to lift the University of Hawai'i Rainbow Wahine soccer team to a 1-0 win over Cornell in the Outrigger Hotels & Resorts Soccer Shootout.

In front of 532 fans last night at the Waipi'o Peninsula Soccer Stadium, Chang scored after a quick counterattack by the Rainbow Wahine, who were defending a 25-yard free kick with 20 seconds left, but suddenly found themselves attacking Cornell's goal.

Sophomore midfielder Tehane Higa cleared the ball off the free kick and sophomore forward Taryn Fukuroku controlled the ball while freshman forward Ambree Ako and Chang ran up the field. Fukuroku passed the ball to Ako on the left side, and she gave the ball to Chang on the right.

"I decided it was the last seconds, I gotta help her out," Chang, a sophomore midfielder, said of Fukuroku. "I just kept going. I thought, 'I'm beat, I'm tired,' but after I heard 10, 9, 8 (the countdown at the end of each period), I decided to run because I didn't want to play another 10 minutes."

After a scoreless 90 minutes of regulation time, the Rainbow Wahine (5-2-1) went into their fourth straight overtime game, including three during an eight-day road trip to Arizona they just returned from Wednesday night. Last night's game was their fourth in eight days.

Hawai'i concludes the tournament against San Francisco (2-4-0) tomorrow at 5 p.m. San Francisco and Cornell play tonight at 7.

"We must have played more than 400 minutes (in the past eight days)," said junior midfielder Jessica Domingo, the team's captain. "We have the opportunities (in regulation) but we just have to make it so dramatic. It's frustrating."

Chang was named the "honorary captain" after a solid performance in the team's last game on the road against Northern Arizona.

"She's doing amazing, she's so clutch," Domingo said.

Neither team managed a shot on goal in the first half, although the Rainbow Wahine out-shot the Big Red 7-1.

Fukuroku had a good opportunity when she beat a defender to the ball but her shot was wide left in the 24th minute.

"Today was ugly," Domingo said. "We just came out flat and stayed flat."

Hawai'i coach Pinsoom Tenzing agreed with Domingo, saying "this is as flat as they can look, but I don't blame them. The first half I was disappointed because we weren't moving the ball fast enough. They were a little fatigued and resorted to sending long balls to the flanks."

The game's first shot on goal was by Cornell's Mariye Wick in the 50th minute, but Hawai'i goalkeeper Kori Lu easily made the stop.

Hawai'i's first shot was a blast by Domingo, a 35-yarder that looked like it would make it just under the crossbar but was batted up then caught by Cornell keeper Carlyn Swensen in the 61st minute.

Cornell entered the game outshooting its opponents 71-39, but was held to three shots to Hawai'i's 15 last night.

"Defense was really solid. (Lu) was big-time today," Tenzing said.

Reach Leila Wai at lwai@honoluluadvertiser.com.