WAIPAHU, Hawai'i – It was a double shutout Thursday afternoon at the Waipio Peninsula Soccer Park, as the defenses dominated between Hawai'i Pacific University and Azusa Pacific in a 0-0 tie in PacWest Conference action.
 
HPU (3-10-2, 3-6-1) recorded its first scoreless tie in a little more than three years, while Azusa Pacific (10-3-3, 8-1-2) remained at the top of the PacWest standings after Point Loma was beaten 1-0 by Chaminade.
 
On Senior Day for the Sharks, it was the defense led by senior Sky Nanoo of Citrus Heights, Calif./Bella Vista that came through, holding a vaunted Cougar offensive attack without a goal.
 
HPU sophomore goalkeeper Lauren Spencer of Oxford, Mich./LaSalle made eight saves off the 17 shots of Azusa Pacific. In addition to the eight saves, APU had two shots hit either the crossbar or a post on the goal.
 
The Cougar defense did an outstanding job as well, limiting HPU to just six shots for the 110 minutes, with APU keeper Sarah Klinkenberg recording four saves with one other Shark shot hitting the goal's crossbar.
 
Azusa had eight shots in the second half and HPU had one – a shot by junior Lei Kaina of Waipahu, Hawai'i/Kamehameha-Kapalama that bounded off the crossbar.
 
HPU had three shot opportunities in the overtime, with one wide and two being saved by Klinkenberg.
 
The scoreless tie was the first for HPU since Oct. 23, 2013 when Hawai'i-Hilo and HPU drew at 0-0 at Atherton Field. The tie was the second for the Sharks this season, with the first being a 1-1 draw in a non-conference match at BYU-Hawaii on Sept. 10.
 
The contest marked the final game on the islands for the Sharks in 2016. HPU has a three-game road trip to close the season starting with a match Tuesday against Academy of Art in San Francisco. Kickoff is scheduled for 10 a.m. HST (1 p.m. PDT) at the Beach Chalet Soccer Field.