In seasons past, the Hawaii soccer team would’ve taken a road draw against one of its usual conference tormentors in a heartbeat.

Not this year.

The Rainbow Wahine settled for a 0-0 tie against UC Irvine at Anteater Stadium on Sunday night, as both teams earned a single point toward Big West tournament qualification.

What You Need To Know

  • The Hawaii soccer team remained in first place in the Big West Conference after it drew 0-0 with UC Irvine at Anteater Stadium in Irvine, Calif., on Sunday night

  • With four regular-season matches remaining, the Rainbow Wahine have maintained their best conference start to date and stand at 16 points atop the Big West table

  • Mia Foster and Zoe Park had close calls on the Anteater goal in the second half but their shots caromed off the woodwork

  • UH hosts UC Riverside at 4 p.m. Sunday in a single-game week

“For us, it was a sign of growth for our team because we were very, very disappointed tonight,” UH coach Michele Nagamine told Spectrum News in a postgame phone interview. “I remember days where we would’ve been absolutely tickled to tie. I like the mentality of the group, I like the fact that they feel like we left something on the table.”

UH (9-6-1, 5-0-1 Big West) saw its program-record seven-match winning streak come to an end, but it set a new best for consecutive unbeaten matches (eight) and tied the program mark for consecutive shutouts (five).

More importantly, the Rainbow Wahine have maintained their best start to conference play in the 30 seasons of the program’s existence. They remained atop the Big West table with 16 points with four matches remaining in the regular season; UC Santa Barbara (4-0-2 BWC) is right behind at 14 points.

There were chances to pair a victory with Thursday’s 1-0 win at UC San Diego. UH had a shot by Mia Foster carom off a post in the 57th minute and a blast by Zoe Park went off the crossbar in the 88th. But UCI goalkeeper Ashley Naylor had to make only one official save on UH's 11 shots.

Freshman Kennedy Justin saved three shots to extend the longest streak of clean sheets for a Wahine goalkeeper. UH hasn’t given up a goal since Sept. 22 against Hawaii Pacific.

Along with Cal State Fullerton and Long Beach State, UCI has been a Big West opponent that has been a barrier to advancement for UH. The Wahine moved to 2-11-2 all-time against the Anteaters.

Irvine (4-6-4, 2-2-2), the three-time defending Big West tournament champ, has won at least one NCAA Tournament match in each of the last three years, including two in each of the last two years. It scored upsets of No. 1 seed UCLA and Gonzaga last year.

But this year, UCI is where UH has typically been — in need of wins late in the schedule to have a chance at qualifying for the six-team BWC championships.

“I’m extremely proud of this group. Their grit,” Nagamine said. “When their backs are against the wall, they’re showing up to play. Everybody’s gunning for them.”

UH hosts UC Riverside (2-10-3, 0-3-3) at 4 p.m. Sunday in a single-game week.

Brian McInnis covers the state’s sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at brian.mcinnis@charter.com.