IRVINE, Calif. - As the last game of the night commenced for day one of the PacWest tournament, it was set between the CUI Golden Eagles and the Hawaii Hilo Vulcans.

Both nationally ranked and top five regional teams matched up in an electric environment hosted by the PacWest at OC Great Park. Both teams' fan bases showed up in an energetic feel, which is precisely what a playoff environment is all about. Fueling off of that crowd energy, since it is their hometown, the Golden Eagles took advantage of the large crowd numbers.

Irandy Erazo was the first to find the back of the net for CUI and did it within the game's first five minutes. She took advantage of a misplaced pass by the Vulcans and was one-on-one with her defender, got past her, and shot it over the GK's head. After that exciting finish, it was a stalemate and defensive game for about 40 minutes.

The Vulcans were presented with a corner kick opportunity and delivered in the 43rd minute, making a 1-1 game going into the half. Coming back from the half, the Golden Eagles were down one key player, Riley Urquiza.

This is what head coach Chris Gould had to say about that situation post-game: "That was the big one, Erica Ihlein stepping up. That, to me, is probably more the focus than anything is. That's really what this platform is about; it's watching players step up when it's high intensity and there's a lot at stake. I thought she did an amazing job, stepping up for the team and making a couple of big saves."

In the second half, the Vulcans offensive clicked and capitalized, scoring three goals in a span of 20 minutes. The Golden Eagles would try to answer back with a goal from Antonella Russo in the 79th minute, but ultimately wasn't enough to fuel a CUI comeback.

The Golden Eagles live to fight another day, awaiting the results from the NCAA DII Selection Show, which will happen on Monday, November 18th, at 4:00 PM. To follow for more action, CLICK HERE to view their schedule.