Mahalo for supporting Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Enjoy this free story!
The Hawaii soccer team overcame the elements for its third road win of the season.
UH (4-4) worked overtime in high altitude and wind gusts of 30-plus mph for a 1-0 win against Northern Arizona in Flagstaff, Ariz., on Sunday.
Junior forward Tiana Fujimoto scored the golden goal in the 98th minute on a rebound assist from Karli Look. Look’s shot in the 18-yard box hit a corner of goalpost and crossbar and bounced down to the feet of Fujimoto, who cleaned it up for her fifth goal of the season.
"Everything was against us — the weather, the refs. I’m so glad we were able to pull through," Look said in a postgame phone interview. "The weather was miserable — sunny, but freezing cold, and windy. It was so hard to breathe after running."
Fujimoto’s 16th career score moved her into sole possession of eighth on the UH career list.
UH outshot the Lumberjacks (4-2-3) handily, 19-5, and improved to 2-1 against Big Sky Conference competition this year.
The formerly road-challenged Rainbow Wahine — they were 1-8-1 in away games last year — shrugged off a 4-1 shellacking at Arizona on Friday and climbed up to Flagstaff (nearly 7,000-foot elevation) to improve to 3-1 on the mainland.
UH last won three road games in a season in 2009.
"The adversity the team overcame today, they showed some incredible mental toughness," UH coach Michele Nagamine said. "It seemed like we were in slow motion on Friday. Today, the kids really came out to play."
Freshman goalkeeper Monk Berger rebounded from a rough outing against the Wildcats with her third career shutout, including a save in a 1-on-1 situation among her three stops.
Freshman Madison Reed filled in capably for Lidia Battaglia (illness) on defense and played the entire match.
The Wahine return home for a match against Division II neighbor Hawaii Pacific on Wednesday and follow with their annual alumnae game on Sunday.
78