KANEOHE, Hawaii – On the islands for the start of Pacific West Conference play, Academy of Art University women's soccer brought the rain – literally and figuratively.

Following a tightly played scoreless first half, sophomore midfielder Aliya Salas broke free for a rebound shot into the net then tough defense amid rainy and mucky conditions would lead to a 1-0 victory over Hawaii Pacific for ART U and freshman goalkeeper Morgan Wirz's first career shutout out at Atherton Field on Saturday.

"We anticipated that weather might be a factor so we just said go into this match with the mentality that we need to play collective defense and our team did really well with that," said head coach Katie Awerkamp. "It wasn't pretty and both teams were struggling to establish a style of play, but we stayed strong defensively and played smart."

Well-played soccer in the midfield by both sides held the Urban Knights and Sharks to not a single shot through the first 32 minutes. It was freshman midfielder Alice Michell who did the honors as that gave way to a flurry of action in the final eight minutes. HPU put two of four on frame, but Wirz made the save in both instances to keep the match tied 0-0.

"At the half, the message was: Whomever outworks the other and gets those 50-50 balls will win this match," said Awerkamp. 

Out of halftime, a corner kick by Michell in the 51st minute set up the opportunity Academy of Art had been waiting for. Salas collected the rebound off a scramble following the cross and sent it into the bottom left corner of the net. As if on cue, the conditions became rainier and muddier from that point on with Hawaii Pacific pushing to answer back.