Entering Saturday, Hawaii Hilo had gone more than two women’s soccer regular seasons without a defeat, a testament to the program's elevation and consistency. But that remarkable run of unbeaten outcomes came to an end at 35 as visiting Point Loma dealt No. 5 Hilo a 3-0 loss at Vulcan Soccer Field.
The Sea Lions struck three times in an eight-minute span of the second half to pull off the stunner.
UHH (10-1-1, 6-1 PacWest), missing its starting goalkeeper and center back, was shut out for the first time since a 0-0 draw with Northwest Nazarene at Saint Louis School on Sept. 5. It was the Vulcans’ first shutout defeat in a regular season since Azusa Pacific beat them 1-0 on Sept. 29, 2021, after which UHH started its run of 35 in a row.
The Vulcans’ No. 5 ranking is the program’s highest to date. Hilo hadn’t given up three goals in a regular-season game under coach Gene Okamura since 2019.
"We still have a lot of work ahead of us, but it speaks volumes about where the program has gotten and hopefully it's an indication of where we're headed and what's to come as we continue moving forward," Okamura told UHH Athletics.
Hilo hosts No. 12 Concordia Irvine (10-1-1, 5-0-1) on Oct. 30 in a match that could determine the PacWest champion. Point Loma improved to 8-3-1 (4-2 PWC).
Brian McInnis covers the state's sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at brian.mcinnis@charter.com.