Wahine soccer team endures mixed emotions after senior day loss

An emotional and festive post-match scene was a given.

Hawaii’s hopes of qualifying for the Big West women’s soccer tournament remained in question following a 2-0 loss to Cal State Fullerton on senior day at Waipio Peninsula Soccer Stadium.

The visiting Titans took the lead on Kaylin Raibon’s header off a corner kick in the 25th minute, Kaytlin Brinkman broke free to punch in an insurance goal in the 74th minute and Cal State Fullerton (8-5-5, 5-2-2 Big West) clinched a spot in the six-team conference tournament with the win.

The Rainbow Wahine (6-5-3, 3-3-3) remained in sixth place and their bid for the program’s second Big West Tournament appearance will come down to Thursday’s regular-season finale at UC Irvine.

UH has 12 points in the Big West standings, one ahead of UC Irvine and CSU Bakersfield (both 2-2-5), meaning the Wahine still have control of their postseason destiny going into the final day of the conference schedule.

“I think we like to make it exciting,” UH senior Kelci Sumida said. “So it’s coming down to the last match and hopefully we’ll be able to get a good result and hopefully make the tournament.”

Sumida was among the nine UH seniors introduced after the match as the program hosted a full senior sendoff for the first time since this year’s honorees were freshmen in 2019. The 2020 season was canceled due to the pandemic and last year’s match was called off shortly before kickoff due to COVID-19 protocols within the UC San Diego program.

“They’ve set a very good tone and pace for us all season long,” UH coach Michele Nagamine said. “They’ve been through some difficulties with the pandemic and post-pandemic play, but they’ve been really good leaders for everybody.

“There was not a dry eye in that line (of underclassmen) and that shows the respect and love that our team has for our seniors. It’s a very special class.”

With an overflow crowd packed into the shaded makai grandstands, the Rainbow Wahine took 19 shots to Fullerton’s 14, but were turned away with Titan goalkeepers Mia Ranson and DeAira Jackson combining for five saves. UH’s Lauren Marquez, a graduate student, made six saves.

UH played without forward Krista Peterson, the team’s leading goal scorer, who sat out after being ejected during Thursday’s 2-1 win over UC Riverside.

The Titans took just four shots in the first half, but converted on one of their six corner kicks with Raibon’s header on their way to playing spoiler on UH’s senior day for the third time since 2016.

“I think we were a little bit off our game, we had more than our fair share of opportunities to put the game away and we shot ourselves in the foot,” Nagamine said.

“A few people were joking with me that we had to bless the goals, and now I’m seriously thinking about it,” she said. “But we did this to ourselves. We didn’t challenge for the air-ball in the box, we had a momentary lapse of focus and they capitalized.”

Sumida led some of UH’s strongest threats and took six shots, putting three on goal. After the match, the Moanalua graduate had lei piled high on her shoulders and was surrounded by youngsters seeking an autograph or a selfie.

“I promised myself that I wasn’t going to cry, so I was just keeping that in mind,” she said. “But honestly it was really emotional playing my last game at Waipio. But having the support that I had, all my family and friends that came, the keiki that came out, it was amazing and it’s all I could ever ask for.”

Also honored after the match were Marquez, forward Taylor Caporus, midfielders Eliza Ammendolia and Bailey Faulkner and defenders Julia Wolfe, V Jimenez, Kylie McNamara and Emily Cottrell.