Rainbow Wahine limp into Arizona

There’s a new designation for an ever-growing segment of the Hawaii soccer team.

"I put them in the ‘bus’ up’ category," UH coach Michele Nagamine said.

When the Rainbow Wahine take on Arizona in Tucson, Ariz., today — their third Pac-12 road opponent of the season — they’ll do it with several of their key players limited or sidelined by injuries.

The offensive third is particularly hurting with Tiana Fujimoto (general), Kama Pascua (hyperextended toes) and T.J. Reyno (sprained ankle) all battling ailments. Midfielder Hayden Gibson (quad) is questionable, too, though all save Reyno might play through it.

Meanwhile, preseason casualties Bree Locquiao and McKenzie McGoldrick aren’t expected back anytime soon.

"The good thing is, we are a lot deeper than we have been in the past," Nagamine said. "I know that I have people I can call on who are going to rise to the occasion. You know, right now it’s just a matter of who those people are going to be. There’s a number of them who can do it. (Forward) Skye Shimabukuro, the last week of practice has been very good for her. (Midfielder) Ashley Haruki’s really turned it on. It’s been good to see."

UH (3-3) fell 2-0 to Portland State on Sunday, a third home shutout loss in an 1-3 start on the Waipio Peninsula.

"You can see people starting to get tired, but as a group we seem very mentally prepared and focused," said Shimabukuro, a fifth-year senior. "We’ve always got each other’s backs but no matter what we’re always pushing forward."

If UH has its way, its second and final nonconference road trip of the season will go exactly like its first, an unprecedented road sweep of Pac-12 foes Oregon and Oregon State.

But whereas those teams are a combined 3-10-2, Arizona and Sunday’s foe, Northern Arizona of the Big Sky, are used to getting results at a combined 8-1-6.

Arizona leads the Pac-12 in goals with 19, but is coming off its first loss of the season to Texas Tech. NAU could be difficult to knock off in Flagstaff, Ariz., one of the nation’s cloud-scraping cities with an elevation of nearly 7,000 feet.

UH last won three straight on the road in 2004.

What the home defeat to PSU might have accomplished is affirmation that freshman Monk Berger is the team’s primary goalkeeper, as Erica Young took that loss. UH is 3-1 when Berger starts in goal, 0-2 when she doesn’t.

"I think Monk right now has the upper hand," Nagamine said. "She’s been more consistent, she’s better in air. So that’s something that we’re going to try to go with (today)."

Fujimoto, thanks to her hat trick against Idaho State last Friday, is second in the Big West in goals with four and points with eight. Pascua is second in the BWC in shots with 21.