Box Score By Ron Smith
October 19, 2023
 
(HILO, Hawaii) Going up against the fifth-ranked team in NCAA Division II in Hawai'i Hilo (10-0-1, 6-0 PacWest), Westmont Women's Soccer (4-2-4, 2-1-1) knew it would have its hands full. What the Warriors didn't know is that it would begin raining during warm-ups and continue to do so on and off during the game, making the artificial turf slippery.
 
The conditions only added to the challenge of taking on an opponent who has allowed just four goals this season. In the end, Westmont found itself on the wrong end of a 1-0 score.
 
"We had all kinds of chances, we just didn't put them away," said Westmont's head coach Jenny Jaggard. "I think we figured out the key to beating this team, but the execution in the final moment was the let-down. In watching film, I didn't see anyone as successful as we were at finding the switch to the final third and getting in on them. The fact that we were getting those shots and that we were in the final third and in the box as much as we were, was a huge win. The elephant in the room is that we are not scoring goals off of some very good opportunities."
 
The only goal of the game came off a corner kick. In the 39th minute, the Vulcans' Teani Arakawa sent the ball in front of the net where it was deflected by Westmont keeper Maya Pablos. The ball fell at the feet of Alyssa Padron who kicked it into the net.
 
"I thought our defense was very good today," said Jaggard of a squad that warded off 12 of 13 shots and produced seven saves. "We had one set piece where we didn't attack the ball and let it go over multiple heads when we were zonally defending. We should have gotten something on it.
 
"Alyssa Zahiralis, Taylie Scott and Maya Pablos were my players of the game. Alyssa is recovering from an injury and is back in there. Her defending was so good today. She also had the composure to settle a ball and connect a pass after doing crazy defending on a wet, slippery field. Pabs made some amazing plays today and was good in goal. She also made some smart, tactical decisions under pressure, by playing the ball wide and getting it out of central spaces."
 
The Warriors will continue their Hawaii road trip with two games on Oahu. On Saturday, the Warriors will take on Chaminade (6-3-3, 4-1-1). Then on Tuesday, Westmont will pair off against Hawaii Pacific (1-6-4, 1-1-2).