WAIPAHU, Hawai'i – Hawai'i Pacific University scored three times on the top defensive team in the PacWest Conference in beating Dominican (Calif.) 3-1 on Monday evening at the Waipio Peninsula Soccer Stadium.
 
The Sharks (7-3-1, 4-1) handed the Penguins (3-4-6, 0-3-3) the most goals they have allowed in a contest this season.
 
HPU was paced by junior Nina Gonzales of Palmdale, Calif./Knight who collected four points with a goal and two assists.
 
DUC was without two defensive starters because of red card suspensions and didn't have starting goalkeeper Alyssa Ramos due to illness.
 
HPU fired 11 shots against DUC keeper Jaqueline Catano, who allowed three goals with one save.
 
The Penguins attempted just five shots as sophomore goalkeeper Marissa Froio of Simi Valley, Calif./Royal notched two saves and allowed the one goal.
 
The Sharks got the scoring started on their first shot of the game, when sophomore Jacey Iwane of Aiea, Hawai'i/Moanalua scored in the seventh minute. The play started with Gonzales sending a lob to sophomore Brittny Ihara of Pearl City, Hawai'i/Pearl City at from the top to the left side. Ihara slid a quick pass to Iwane for the one-timer and the 1-0 lead.
 
HPU made it 2-0 rather quickly, as Gonzales scored her second goal of the season in the 24th minute of a feed from freshman Callie Rheaume of Camas, Wash./Camas. The Sharks carried the 2-0 lead to intermission.
 
Dominican made it a contest again early in the second half as Tanya Bills found an opening to make it 2-1 in the 51st minute.
 
A scary moment came in the 58th minute when senior Ebony Madrid of Porterville, Calif./Ramstein (Germany), the PacWest leader in goals and points, tried to head a shot in the box but collided with Catano instead and landed on her head and neck. Madrid walked off, but did not return to the game.
 
Four minutes after the collision, HPU got the score back as freshman Mya Tolentino of Waipahu, Hawai'i/Waipahu, who replaced Madrid, scored her first goal of the season in the 62nd minute. Off an HPU corner, the Penguins tried to clear the ball, but instead sent it to Gonzales who collected her fourth point of the night by firing a shot from the left that was redirected into the net by Tolentino.
 
The Sharks defense did the rest, as Dominican managed just one more shot in the game, and it was saved by Froio.
 
HPU, fourth by percentage points in the PacWest race, starts a nine-day, four-game southern California roadtrip this weekend. The Sharks open on Saturday at Azusa Pacific with a 10 a.m. HST (1 p.m. PDT) kickoff at Cougar Soccer Field.