IRVINE, Calif. - The Eagles battled back from a 2-0 deficit in the first half to defeat HPU on Halloween, 3-2. With the comeback victory, CUI improved to 5-0-1 in the PacWest and extended its winning streak to five.

The beginning of the first half was slow for both CUI and HPU.  It was not until 13 minutes were left in the half that a foul was drawn by HPU in the 6-yard box.  This lined HPU up for a penalty kick and Callie Rheaume was able to find the back of the net for the early lead.  Then shortly after with about 10 minutes left in the half, Rheaume took anoter shot from the edge of the 18-yard box and placed the ball into the top left corner of the goal.  The Eagles headed into the lockerroom at halftime down 2-0.

A common cliche in sports like soccer and hockey is that a 2-0 lead can often be the hardest lead to hold. Fittingly on Halloween, it was a scary situation for HPU as they tried to hold on in the second half.  The Eagles were up for the challenge and battled back over the next 45 minutes.

"The women had an uncharacteristic first half," said CUI head coach Chris Gould.  "We were on the back foot most of the half.  I think we did a nice job regrouping at halftime. Our girls came together at a tough moment and committed to fight for each other. This is a very special group."

It did not take long for the Eagles to show their fighting spirit.  Five minutes into the half a corner kick was set up and Molly Melanson headed the ball straight into the net thanks to a great ball by freshman Analisa Gjonovich.  The score was not just 2-1 with the Sharks still in the lead. 

There was a total of 15 shots in the second half for the Eagles who were showing aggressive play and trying to make plays happen.  But it was not until five minutes were left in the half that Jadenn Carrillo took a shot that got deflected straight to Mariana Maldonado who knocked the ball into the goal to tie it up 2-2.  As time was ticking down the fans were unsure of what would happen next. With less than a minute to go in the game Maldonado gets Carrillo the ball for Carrillo to then find the net scoring her fourth golden goal this season. Maldonado and Carrillo with the double action at the end to help win the game over currently fourth place conference ranked HPU. 

"I knew our team had all the heart and character to get there," said Maldonado.  "We've done it before, and it doesn't mean we couldn't do it again. I think we were being consistent the whole second half, so it was just about maintaining and being our true selves to finish it."

"Honestly I wasn't thinking about scoring too much," said Carrillo. "I was mainly focused on doing all that I can with the time I had. Working to each ball and making that last second run just in case I could get something out of it. I just knew that if I worked as hard as I can I couldn't be upset with whatever outcome we had. I always say, 'Come off the field knowing you did all you could.' Mari is an amazing player and person. She's always working so hard and putting her all out there. I love playing with her and I'm glad she's by my side out on the field!"

As Carrillo said she always wants to come off the field knowing she did all she could, and the entire Eagles team did that against HPU.

The offense rebounded after only taking three shots in the first half.  The defense also made a remarkable improvement as the Eagles did not allow HPU to add to their two first half goals for the remainder of the game. 

"The defensive tactic in the back for the second half was mainly to work together and communicate," said senior goalie Kaelyn Whitcomb. "We needed to connect our back line to the forwards and our midfield definitely ignited that in the second half. Our bench was a huge factor in keeping the girls on the field in the game and determined to give their all."

Whitcomb came up with some huge saves towards the end of the game.  She utilized her length and knowledge of the game to keep HPU from finding the net. 

"It was a great feeling to make those saves but I definitely didn't have to make as many saves due to my defensive line stopping every offensive push the other team had," said Whitcomb. "My defense played a huge part in shutting down one of the top goal scorers in conference right now."

This was an exciting match to watch and the Eagles look forward to another key home game against Hawai'i Hilo on Saturday, Nov. 2 at 12:00 p.m.  Hawai'i Hilo is currently standing at sixth place in the conference.  The Eagles are in the top three and recently were listed No. 8 in the D2 West Regional rankings that were released this week.  In the current system, seven women's soccer teams from the D2 West Region will advance to the postseason.

For the rest of the CUI women's soccer schedule click here.