HILO, HI- The Cougars took the long flight across the Pacific to Hawaii for a pair of contests against Chaminade and Hawaii Hilo. CCU began against the Silverswords on Friday, and a late goal sealed their first victory of the season by a final score of 1-0.
Both teams had some early pressure with several shots that did not find the target, and
Kayla Truong showed her skill with a pair of early attempts. The rest of the half was a defensive affair, with
Alexis Byrd and
Brooke Berens firing shots off to no avail as the teams went to the break level at 0-0.
Truong forced the first save of the game with a shot on goal in the 56th minute of play, while
Kenzie Kunitz stood tall for a save moments later. As the game reached the final 12 minutes, CCU earned a corner kick. The ball was played into a dangerous spot where
Danel Hach pushed a header towards goal. The keeper made the save but the ball remained loose in the box for Berens to blast the ball home and give her team the lead. The defense remained stellar the final 10 minutes as the Cougars picked up a huge 1-0 victory over Chaminade.
The Cougars outshot the Silverswords 9-5 with an advantage on corners 5-3. Berens notched the first goal of her collegiate career as the freshman from Washington gave her team the victory with a clutch play when it mattered most.
CCU will close their trip to the Big Island with a matchup against host Hawaii Hilo on September 6 at 4:30 p.m. MST.
