Gianna DeSaverio overcame a bum right ankle and a few bungled shots on goal to be the hero for the Arizona soccer team yesterday against Hawaii in the Four Points Sheraton Cats Classic.
The sophomore forward scored from about 10 yards away in the eighth minute of sudden-death overtime off an assist from forward Laura Huylebroeck and defender Savanah Levake to defeat the Rainbow Wahine 1-0 at Murphey Field at Lohse Stadium.
DeSaverio injured her ankle after a collision during a 1-0 win Friday against Gonzaga (3-2-1) and finally converted yesterday after missing a number of shots, including one only a moment before.
“”I totally kicked the ground on that one,”” DeSaverio said.
Tobias said DeSaverio had been a game-time decision and offered to play after receiving clearance from team trainer Trae Tashiro.
She is currently listed as day-to-day, but Tobias said he thinks DeSaverio will keep playing.
“”She’s mentally tough, physically tough,”” he said.
Despite holding Hawaii (3-2-1) scoreless, Tobias said he thought the Wildcats (4-2-0) played loose defensively.
Sophomore forward London King, who was named the tournament’s most valuable offensive player, agreed.
“”They were really aggressive and kind of spunky,”” King said.
Sophomore goalie Chelsea McIntyre, who earned her third shutout of the season yesterday with 11 saves, said the team just needs to get more organized on the field.
“”We need to make sure we are reading games better, reading players better,”” she said.
The defense was also hurt yesterday by the absence of junior defender Kaity Heath, who did not play against Hawaii due to back problems. Freshman Samantha Tiampo got the start instead.
“”Tiampo did a solid job,”” Tobias said. “”We knew she would be a real good addition.””
King’s quickness aided the Wildcats against Gonzaga, as she scored off an assist from Heath at the 29:15 mark.
The Wildcats kept the pressure on throughout the first half, but Gonzaga had many attempts on goal at the end of the first half and during the second half, finishing with 13 shots on goal to Arizona’s 12.
McIntyre did her part defensively by recording five saves.
King said she was proud of her team’s performance over the weekend.
“”We did a great job,”” she said. “”We had a lot of energy (and) the ball was moving well, but we need to make sure our level of play is really high.””
-Allison Hamila contributed to this report.
