SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Men's soccer bowed out of its postseason run with a 2-1 defeat to Hawaii Hilo in the Pacific West Conference semifinals Thursday afternoon at Thorrington Field. Though the Blue and Gold worked through adjustments with their injury-riddled squad, they could never place a true grasp of control in the match's rhythm, as Hilo stepped up to snare the final spot in the championship match Saturday against Point Loma.

The Lions close their run at 9-5-4, 7-1-2, with their NCAA National Tournament hopes now at the mercy of an at-large bid. Hilo (11-4-2, 7-2-1) heads to the PacWest Tournament final and retains one of the hottest win streaks in the west region, extending it to seven wins.

What Happened? Despite a 4-4 shot tally in the first half, the Vulcans had VU on the ropes for large portions of the period, especially in the opening 15 minutes. The Lions were forced to defend several crosses and faced torrential pressure from the right wing to give Hilo the early advantage.

PacWest Goalkeeper of the Year, Aidan Hay, did well to command his box and keep a handle on the rapid-fire chances, but problems arose when Hilo found danger from long throw-ins. They utilized Felix Drizinsky from both wings to launch long throw-ins after long throw-ins, enforcing a direct but well-executed style to keep the Lions pinned back.

The opener spilled through in the 11th minute after Drizinsky heaved a throw-in from the right wing once more. This time, Hay's box was cluttered, cutting off his angle to stab a firm punch at it as the ball dropped in the six-yard box. Hilo's PacWest Freshman of the Year, Jakob Santiago, was lurking in the area, poking it in for the 1-0 Vulcan lead.

Vanguard remained out of sorts in terms of overall rhythm, but they did spark dangerous chances on the counter as the match opened up. Their first real chance of the game was prompted by a strong win in midfield by All-PacWest performer Luke Parker. He passed it toward the PacWest Player of the Year Adan Alvarado, who squirmed past his defender down the middle of the pitch and snaked a through ball to his right for Tyler Williams.

Williams settled the move with a solid first touch, but his shot from the right side of the box with his weaker right foot flashed past the bottom left post.

In the 18th minute, Alvarado also tried for a goal with a shot from distance. The midfielder lined up a deep free kick from the right that unfortunately rose past the crossbar.

VU had a golden chance to go level in the 22nd minute through Niko Ochoa, but could not hit the target on the break. The opportunity was opened by Juan Vazquez, who tracked back to win the ball near the half field, picked the pocket of a Vulcan midfielder, and lifted a ball over the top past the launch a dangerous attack. Ochoa was in behind the UHH backline with room to roam. His first touch put him in one on one with the goalkeeper inside the box, but the sophomore's effort could not sneak inside the far post as it trickled wide.

Hilo also missed a tremendous chance of their own in the 32nd minute, after Drizinsky's gorgeously speared cross to the back post was sent wide with a free header for UHH.

The start of the second half brought light rain, leaving a slick surface for the final 45 minutes. VU moved away from their patented counter-attacking style and instead tried to commit bodies high up the field and flood the Vulcan defense. Hilo, however, played out pressure well and controlled the tempo amid the VU push.

The Vulcans had the first 11 shots of the period, as the Lions slowly became stretched out defensively. In the 64^th minute, UHH carved a fine chance after three quickfire passes through the left wing, ripped VU's defense to wedge an opening for a shot inside the box. Leonardo Villacorta came to the rescue for the Lions with a crucial block, as Hay smothered the second shot attempt comfortably.

VU's defensive fortitude could not hold out against the next wave of attack; however, Hilo immediately won the ball in midfield 10 seconds later, carried the attack straight to goal unperturbed, and tucked in a tidy finish to the bottom-right corner.

Trailing 2-0, the Blue and Gold threw everything into plucking one goal back to try and off-balance the game's flow. They would not register a shot in the half, however, until the last 10 minutes of the game, as Sidney Dina connected his header from Alvarado's free kick to force the only Hilo save of the day.

The Lions finally did earn themselves a share of the scoresheet courtesy of Robert Ronco's 17th career goal in the 88th minute. Dina started the attack as he switched the ball from left midfield to the right wing. Alvarado drove past his man down the flank and slashed it across the face of the goal. With four VU runners in the box, Parker hounded on it quickest, sliding the ball along the six-yard box. Ronco swarmed on the loose ball, smashing it through the roof of the net for the last goal of the match.