Wahine score late for 2-1 win

Give yourself enough chances, and a ball or two is bound to bounce your way.

The Hawaii women’s soccer team kept the pressure on Sacred Heart in the second half, eventually yielding the game-winning goal by Tiana Fujimoto in the 85th minute.

UH won its home opener 2-1 on a still night at Waipio Peninsula Soccer Stadium, putting the Rainbow Wahine above .500 for the first time since 2008.

Fujimoto, a sophomore forward, had both of UH’s scores, giving her three in three games. It was the second multi-goal match of her career.

“Feels good that we worked hard to get it late. It was a team effort,” Fujimoto said. “We knew we had to pick up our game (in the second half) and we felt the momentum coming. We just kept telling each other, ‘Keep working, keep working. Don’t let down.’ “

Prior to Fujimoto’s 12-yard breakthrough off a ricocheted ball in the box by teammate Addison Carroll, UH (2-1) was stymied by a number of missed scoring opportunities with the game knotted 1-1.

Second-year coach Michele Nagamine was more pleased than frustrated by those close calls as her team prepares to play Utah Valley (1-1) in the finale of the OHANA Hotels and Resorts No Ka Oi tournament on Sunday. UH carries a 5-0-1 home streak into that 5 p.m. match.

“The hustle, the energy, the cohesiveness was at a completely different level in the second half,” Nagamine said. “It’s still really early in the season for us and we’re still trying to get our rhythm. I’m just thrilled that we were able to settle it down at home. … We gave (the fans) something to talk about.”

Sacred Heart (0-2) of the Northeast Conference, a 3-2 loser against UVU on Wednesday, appeared gassed late in the game as Fujimoto and UH’s speedy midfielders kept the pressure on.

“Hawaii has a lot of heart and soul when they play,” Pioneers coach Kim Banner said. “They just beat us to a lot of balls. … They took over the game. A credit to them … they definitely had more of an adrenaline rush going to them.”

UH came out in a 4-5-1 lineup with Fujimoto up top, the same formation it used in a 5-4 win at UNLV last weekend. But it was the cross-country visitors who struck first. The Pioneers took a 1-0 lead on Jen Mulvey’s 12-yard open look from the left side with 30 minutes left in the half.

Fujimoto evened the score in the 19th minute when she burst through the defense, intercepting a ball passed backward and beating the Pioneers goalkeeper for a clear look at the net.

Senior midfielder Amber Fuller went down with an ankle injury midway through the first half. She was helped off the field and did not return, but Nagamine said she expects Fuller to return soon.

Freshman defender Amanda “Ziggy” McCaskill will miss the rest of the season after an examination of her knee injury at Nevada last week came back as a torn ACL, Nagamine said.

“We’re going to redshirt her this year,” Nagamine said of the ‘Iolani graduate. “The good thing is she’ll come back for spring (training).”

UH had a 19-5 edge in shot attempts.