HILO, Hawaii – Down 1-0 at Vulcan Soccer Field, Vanguard battled back against the league leaders, Hawaii Hilo, earning their equalizer thanks to a stunning finish from Francesca Lindstrom in the 62nd minute. The momentous highlight, however, was short-lived, as the Vulcans erased the equalizer just 22 seconds later to reset the balance in VU's 2-1 loss on Saturday afternoon.

The Blue and Gold suffer their second narrow loss on the Hawaii road trip, moving to 3-5-1 and 1-2 in the Pacific West Conference. Hawaii Hilo (4-2-4, 3-1-1) makes it five games unbeaten, snatching crucial points to stay atop the conference standings.

Lindstrom's strike was her second of the campaign and fifth in her tenure to place her at career 10 points. Her goal was manufactured by Sydney Powell, who assisted on her first goal of the season and marked her second goal involvement in the three conference matches so far.

In goal, the Blue and Gold also fielded debutant Josselyne Navarrete, as the sophomore collected her first official career cap playing all 90 minutes.

The Lions controlled the majority of the match after conceding the opener in the first half and held leads in shots (10-9), shots on goal (5-3), and corner kicks (6-2).

What Happened? Both teams looked keen, combining confidently in possession in the match's early stages. UHH's threat on the deep through ball was apparent early, with the Lions also posing danger with silky link-up play between their front five.

VU's frontal force connected early on by catching Hilo out of possession from the back. They showered two shots inside the opening ten minutes from Hailey Garvin and Abby Grabowski. Penick also caused problems from corner kicks, dropping a powerful inswinger to the back post, which was speared away at the last second by the Hilo keeper.

The Lions also carved a solid opening on goal in the 20th minute with a series of passes through midfield. The ball started with Avery Hanhauser, who turned and sent the pass to Kate Burns. Burns broke away from pressure with tidy footwork at the edge of the and fed Graboswki, who couldn't snatch the right read on the ball, sending it over the bar.

Hilo produced the opening goal just 35 seconds after the Vanguard miss.

VU were dispossessed in midfield, trying to build up the pitch. Hilo's Brianna Kubli crept forward unchecked and sent a long through ball in between the Lion center halves to release Delaney Barbee, who made a deadly run. Navarette did well to spring off her line, but Barbee's finish slipped under the extended torso for the 1-0 Vulcan lead.

The Lions saw two more opportunities come their way before the halftime whistle. Once from Lindsey Hiraki in the 36th minute, as the substitute scooped up a loose ball off a UHH goal kick but sent the shot over the bar.  The other was supplied by a 39th-minute corner kick, with Samantha Pellettera just missing the head of Kaitlyn Currier at the back post.

The Blue and Gold looked rejuvenated after the restart and would force three saves from the Vulcans over the next 45 minutes. Early VU pressure came from Megan Charley after the left back ripped a dangerous cross that skipped past the head of the advancing Grabowski.

The striker was again involved in the action in the 50th minute, collecting a header flick from Powell near the right-hand side of the box. Grabowski dribbled across the box, then rolled the ball into Burns, whose left-footed strike led to Hilo save number one of the half.

VU were in firm control of proceedings when they snatched the equalizer, taking three shots without response from the Vulcans.

After a far-reaching VU clearance, the ball dropped midfield toward Lindstrom, who popped the ball forward on the half volley into space for Powell. Surrounded by Vulcan jerseys, Powell was patient, carrying the ball toward the box and shrugging off two challenges before slipping the ball back toward Lindstrom. The striker took one touch to settle and cut in at the left side of the 18-yard box, then cannoned a cracking finish to the top corner.

At 1-1 momentum was with the Blue and Gold, but fortune stood with the home team.

The Vulcans delivered the knockout punch 22 seconds after the VU equalizer. Straight from kickoff, they beamed the ball deep into Lion territory. VU could only clear it as far as midfield before Ali Bournay settled the ball outside the box, dribbled past her mark, and floated the ball into the top left corner of the net.

Though VU commanded most of the possession, the remaining flow in the final 25 minutes saw both teams gather three shots each.

The Lions' best opportunity to pull out a draw came from Kennedy Cypher in the 73rd minute. The senior controlled a bouncing ball from the left wing, then wriggled away from her mark before whipping in a quality cross in the Hilo box. The ball bounced and met the foot of Currier, who clipped at it with the left boot to force a parry from the Vulcan keeper, on the final Hilo save of the day.

What's Next? The road trip continues for women's soccer with a rematch against Concordia on Wednesday, October 15, at 4 pm.