HILO, Hawaii – Following a strong first half amid rainy conditions, ART U women's soccer found itself in unusual territory on the islands, trailing for the final 30 minutes against UH Hilo on Saturday. The Urban Knights outshot the Vulcans 10-1 in the opening 45 minutes, but a goal in the 59th minute ended up serving as the game-winner in a 2-0 final score.

"We played well and were dominating early," said head coach Katie Awerkamp. "We just have to finish out the match strong. It was a tough day with the rain as well, but we will learn from it and move forward."

Similarly to Academy of Art's recent Chaminade match, the first 25 minutes were filled with ART U offense. Sophomore midfielder Kendall Bozart and senior forward Réa Laudat each fired shots that were saved in the opening nine minutes. Those were followed by attempts by junior defender Laura Mick and junior midfielder Natalie Gabriel as the Knights continued to put the pressure on UH Hilo's defense.

Another barrage of shots came in the 33rd through 35th minutes, but the Vulcans hung tough and the first half turned out scoreless on both sides. In the 57th minute, UH Hilo broke through for a goal by Abcde Zoller off a pass from Jennifer Mendez. Neither side was able to set up many quality attempts from that point on and it was only in the final seconds that the Vulcans scored off a free kick. In the end, ART U was forced to take a difficult 2-0 defeat on the road.

Academy of Art sustains its first PacWest loss and moves to 4-5 overall, 3-1 in conference. Freshman goalkeeper Morgan Wirz pushed her total to 332 consecutive minutes of scoreless soccer in the first half. Gabriel finished with three of the team's eight shots on goal.

UH Hilo is lifted to 3-1-2 overall and 2-1 in PacWest play with the win. Zoller and Steele each had goals in the match while goalie Kayle Clarke earned the shutout with eight saves.

"It's hard to go 3-1 on the road in a roadtrip like this and I'm proud of the team for what the accomplished," said Awerkamp. "We built a lot of camaraderie on this trip."

PacWest play continues in San Bruno for ART U, who play their first home match in nearly a month on Sunday, Oct. 11 with Holy Names in town for a noon kickoff at Skyline College. The match will celebrate National Coming Out Day & LGBT History Month and feature rainbow headbands for the first 200 fans. Sign up for the Fan Bus here!