Long Beach State had plenty to play for, and it showed against the Hawaii women’s soccer team on Friday.
UH gave up goals to five different players and suffered its most lopsided loss of the season, a 5-0 decision in Long Beach, Calif.
"We got shellacked," UH coach Michele Nagamine said afterward. "It was the perfect storm. Long Beach was fighting for their lives."
The 49ers (12-6, 5-3 Big West), picked to win the conference in the preseason, needed a victory to stay in the hunt for a Big West tournament berth. They wasted little time, scoring in the seventh minute and building a 3-0 lead by halftime.
"They were on fire tonight. They couldn’t do anything wrong," Nagamine said. "They went to the elite eight last year for a reason. They’re super fast, very explosive."
UH (8-9-2, 3-5) plays its final game of the season on Sunday at UC Irvine (9-8-2, 5-1-2). The Wahine, picked to finish tied for ninth in the preseason, were already out of postseason contention this week but can still finish with a .500 overall record with an upset.
"It’s an opportunity to finish strong and show everybody that it’s not a fluke that you’re sixth place in the conference," Nagamine said, pointing out that position would be good enough to make the expanded league tourney next season.
The Wahine are still hunting for their first road win in the Big West. They’ve dropped 20 of 22 on the mainland overall going back to 2010.
Regardless of result, it will be the last career match for seniors Kanani Taaca, Christy Watanabe, Michelle Nakasone and Amber Fuller. A fifth outgoing senior, Rachel Domingo, had her season ended prematurely by an ACL tear.