PacWest Communications
Jared Pine
IRVINE, Calif. — Hawai`i Hilo and Azusa Pacific both won a pair of matches last week, joining Point Loma as the three PacWest teams to have won multiple matches already this season.
Hawai`i Hilo became the third PacWest team this year to defeat San Francisco State, and then the Vulcans picked up another shutout victory on Sunday, defeating Hawai`i Pacific 4-0 on Sunday. Daeleen Tokunaga became the PacWest’s leading goal-scorer for the season in the process with three goals in four matches.
Azusa Pacific defeated a pair of CCAA programs, opening the week with a 3-2 triumph against Cal Poly Pomona before winning 2-0 on Saturday against Cal State San Bernardino. Randi Macadangdang has scored the game-winning goal in two of the Cougars’ league-best three wins this season.
Concordia got its first win of the season, bouncing back quickly from an overtime disappointment against Cal State San Bernardino to defeat Cal State Dominguez Hills, 2-0, with Olivia Ocampo scoring the game-winning goal in the 19th minute.
Point Loma improved to 2-0 on the season with a 2-1 win over Cal State LA on Thursday, by scoring twice in the first half. The Sea Lions will travel to the Pacific Northwest this week for a pair of matches against Central Washington and Western Washington. Biola will also head north to face Western Washington before crossing the border to face Simon Fraser next Monday. Fresno Pacific and Dominican each have a chance to take on Chico State, which has been the hottest team in the West Region to start the 2021 season.
Weekly awards for the week of Sept. 6-12
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Filippa Graneld, Hawai`i Hilo
F, So., 5-8 — Stockholm, Sweden
Graneld helped Hawai`i Hilo pick up a pair of shutout victories to improve to 2-2 on the season. On Tuesday, the Vulcans concluded their trip to northern California with a match against San Francisco State, and Graneld scored the game-winning goal in a 1-0 victory. The sophomore had taken four shots in the match and on her fifth attempt, she found the back of the net, scoring in the 88th minute to clinch the victory. That was the Vulcans’ second goal of the season, and the offense began to click after that, scoring four goals in the next match against Hawai`i Pacific for a 4-0 win. Graneld scored the second goal of the match in the 59th minute, shooting from the left side off the goalkeeper’s hand into the right side of the net. Minutes later, she assisted a pair of goals to finish the week with two goals, two assists and 12 shots taken.
DEFENDER OF THE WEEK
Nicole Peoples, Academy of Art
GK, So., 5-7 — Sacramento, Calif.
Peoples recorded an incredible 13-save shutout in 110 minutes of work for the Urban Knights to cause a scoreless tie after two overtime periods against Cal State Monterey Bay on Friday. It was her second-consecutive performance with double-digit saves in a match. Her save percentage for the season is now 92.0 percent. Cal State Monterey Bay was in control of possession for the majority of the match, pushing into the Academy of Art half of the pitch 71% of the time that the Otters had possession. They took 32 shots and put 13 of them on frame, but Peoples didn’t let a single one get by. She made six saves in the two overtime periods, including stopping a pair of shots in the final seconds of the second overtime period. The sophomore made a total of nine saves in just the final 35 minutes of the match, frustrating every effort by the Otters to end the scoreless tie. The Urban Knights were outshot 7-1 in the final overtime period, but Peoples kept the shutout alive.