Wahine outplayed by USF

The shots piled up in a hurry. For a while, goalkeeper Lex Mata was right there every time to make the stop.

The fourth-year junior put together one of her finest games in saving a career-high 12 shots at San Francisco on Sunday, but an overwhelming 26-4 shots advantage by the Dons took its toll in a 2-0 victory by the hosts.

The West Coast Conference team (7-3) had the run of play throughout in remaining unbeaten at Negoesco Stadium, although the Rainbow Wahine (3-3-1) managed to keep it scoreless through halftime. UH was bidding for its first win at USF but instead fell to 0-6-1 all-time there.

“USF is just such an athletic, pacey team,” UH coach Michele Nagamine said in a postgame phone interview. “They had speed everywhere. But our defense actually hung in there pretty well. They have some pretty dynamic players up top. Alexis Mata had another great game and made some really incredible saves, but we had a really, really hard time getting control of the ball.”

Nagamine said her team had problems with the artificial turf, which was a different brand than most such fields.

Instead of the usual black rubber pellets in the turf, “it looked like cork or coconut husk. We had four or five people bleeding. Blood everywhere, shorts, socks, jerseys. … I’d never seen anything like it.”

UH was without sophomore center back Cristina Drossos, who went down with an apparent leg injury in a 1-1 double-overtime draw at Nevada on Thursday. Outside midfielder Izzy Deutsch was still unavailable for medical reasons.

The good news for the Wahine there is Drossos could return for the start of Big West play, according to Nagamine, as should Deutsch.

Claire Jo Diede (two), Raisa Strom-Okimoto and Leialoha Medeiros were the only players to record a shot Sunday for UH, which was shut out for the second time of the season and first since the opener to then-No. 11 Texas A&M.

Samantha Jehnings and Cassidy George found the net for USF in the 58th and 65th minutes. For Jehnings, it was her team-best eighth goal of the season.

Mata’s previous saves high was 10 against Cal State Fullerton last year.

The Wahine conclude nonconference play at home next weekend, playing North Dakota State and Grand Canyon on a rare consecutive-day setup (Saturday-Sunday) at Waipio Peninsula Soccer Stadium.