SEATTLE – On a cold rainy Saturday afternoon, Hawai`i Hilo didn’t get the result it was hoping for in the Vulcans’ first trip to the NCAA West Regional, falling to Sonoma State 5-0 at Interbay Stadium in the first round.
 
Hawai`i Hilo road a nine-match winning streak to win the PacWest’s automatic bid and enter the NCAA West Regional as the fifth seed. The Vulcans had the longest active winning streak in the region going into the tournament.
 
Sonoma State pressured Hawai`i Hilo from the outset allowing the Vulcans to take just one shot in the first half. The pressure from the Seawolves was suffocating as Hawai`i Hilo struggled to get comfortable at any point in the first half.
 
The Seawolves got their first of five goals in the 16^th minute with Alyssa Silva scoring to take a 1-0 lead. Sonoma State added one more in the opening half to take a 2-0 lead. In the final seconds of the first half, PacWest Goalkeeper Viviana Poli was fouled resulting in a yellow card for Sonoma State, while Poli had to exit the match the with an injury.
 
Sonoma State continued to add to its lead in the second half, though the Vulcans began to play better in the second half and control possession of the ball more. Sonoma State scored three more times and took a 5-0 lead in the second half.
 
In the 79^th minute, Hawai`i Hilo got its first goal of the match with Alyssa Padron scoring on a putback from in front of the goal. Jodi Lillie was credited with the assist on the goal.
 
Sonoma State will advance to play against No. 1 Seattle Pacific, while Hawai`i Hilo ends its season with a 12-4 record. The Vulcans finish the year as the PacWest Co-Champions and the first team in program history to earn an NCAA Division II postseason berth.