WAIPAHU, Hawaii — Once “the Amberghini” went full throttle, there was no slowing down the Hawaii soccer team.
Forward Amber Gilbert kicked things up a notch with counterattack goals six minutes apart to lead the Rainbow Wahine to a 4-2 win over UC San Diego at Waipio Peninsula Soccer Stadium on Thursday night. All four goals came in a 28-minute span of the second half.
Gilbert’s were the fifth and sixth goals of 2023 for the Mililani alumna, who has 10 career scores midway in her redshirt sophomore season.
“Amber is on everybody’s scouting report,” coach Michele Nagamine said. “She’s got so much pressure on her to just kind of carry the team because of the notoriety she has with her speed and work rate. I think it’s easy to forget she’s still a young player experience-wise.”
The welcome three points at home slingshot UH (3-3-3, 2-1-1) into first place in the Big West as it prepares to host defending conference tournament champion UC Irvine (3-4-3, 0-0-2), an NCAA tournament Round of 16 team last fall, at 4 p.m. Sunday.
It was the program’s first win over UCSD (1-6-3, 0-1-1) in four attempts.
With UH still feeling fatigue from Monday’s travel back from a shutout loss at UC Riverside, and facing a goal deficit at halftime thanks to Raquel Kalpakoff’s finish in the 30th minute, midfielder Eliza Ammendolia got things started for the Wahine in striking fashion by cranking a ball from 30-plus yards. That equalizer in the 52nd was the first of a four-goal Wahine barrage in the period.
It was the first goal of the season for the all-conference Australian super senior, who this year has split her time as a student teacher at University Lab School.
Gilbert said she was in “disbelief” of her teammate’s shot. It revved her engine.
“Honestly, for me, it started when Eliza had that goal. It just turned my whole mindset around and I just wanted to work so hard,” Gilbert told Spectrum News. “Honestly, our whole team did. And we came out with a win and it was all worth it.”
Some 18 minutes later, Ammendolia slotted a through ball to Gilbert, who took one dribble then slid into the ball for a grounder past goalkeeper Keara Fitzgerald and toward the far post.
The next one was all Gilbert. She knocked a ball out of the air and controlled it on the run in UH’s half. She sped past five Tritons and again deposited it around Fitzgerald, who was forced to come out to challenge.
Forward Nicole Ando put in a cross from freshman Riley Simpson in the 80th minute for her first goal since she scored against UC Irvine as a true freshman in 2021.
UCSD’s Kennedy Carter got one back for her team in the 87th minute after Nagamine had pulled several starters.
UH continues to play without some injured key upperclassmen in Kelci Sumida and Chaima Khammar. Nagamine played eight reserves Thursday.
Among goalkeeper Sophie Augustin's four saves was a leaping punchout of a Triton effort on a free kick in the second half.
“It’s been really great to see that we can make some changes and just give people minutes and it was a total team effort tonight, 100%,” Nagamine said.
Brian McInnis covers the state's sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at brian.mcinnis@charter.com.