Women's Soccer Game Day Central

DETROIT (9/6/2012) -- For one opportunity this season, the University of Detroit Mercy women's soccer team will travel a little bit further than normal as the squad will play a pair of games in Honolulu, Hawaii, on Sunday, Sept. 9, against Ball State and Hawaii. 
 
Game times – PLEASE NOTE THE TIME ZONE DIFFERENCE
Hawaii is six hours behind the Eastern Standard Time zone. IN HAWAII, the two games will be at 7:00 p.m., on Saturday, Sept. 8, against Ball State and Sunday, Sept. 9. vs. Hawaii at 5:00 p.m. However, with the time change, Saturday's game against Ball State will start at 1:00 a.m., on Sunday morning in the Eastern Time Zone and the second game will start at 11:00 p.m., on Sunday evening. There is no video stream available for either game, but you can follow both matches through live stats with the link available on the Women's Soccer Game Day Central page.
 
Game Day Central
Titan fans can follow every UDM game this season through Women's Soccer Game Day Central located on the Titans Athletic Website that will keep fans one click away from all the action. This page will feature links for live stats (audio and video when applicable) as well as links for all the latest info while also making it easy to find the Titans on social media and to purchase photos and game tickets. Women's Soccer Game Day Central also carries all the information on each opponent from who is leading the all-time series to who won the last game.
  
Heartbreaker
Detroit (2-3) is coming off a 3-2 overtime loss at Oakland on Friday evening. Senior Nina Carter scored two goals for the Titans, including a late goal at 85:11 that tied the game 2-2 and forced overtime.  
 
Freshman First
Freshman goalkeeper Martha Dunbar made her first collegiate appearance starting in goal for the Titans against Oakland. Dunbar made four saves in her debut, all in the second half.
 
“Martha played great in her first game as a Division I goaltender and sometimes our defenders are a little more tentative in their decisions when that happens,” said UDM women's soccer head coach Mike Lupenec after Friday's game. “In our losses, we have created great chances and sometimes you have to keep grinding throughout the season and things will fall into place.”
 
Aloha Hawaii!
This will be the third time that the women's soccer team will make a trip to Hawaii for a pair of games. In 2006, the Titans played Cal State Northridge and Hawaii, while in 2009 Detroit had two contests against the Rainbow Wahine. UDM will be in search of its first win in the Aloha State after previously falling in three one-goal games with the team's last match-up in Hawaii, a 2-0 loss on Sept. 26, 2009.

Ball State
Ball State (3-2) is coming off a 1-0 over IPFW on Sunday. The Cardinals started 2012 with a 3-1 loss at Marshall before collecting a pair of 2-1 home victories over Northern Kentucky and Xavier, the latter in double overtime with the game winner coming in the 108th minute of play. Ball State split its last two games against Indiana schools with a 1-0 home loss to IUPUI on Aug. 31 and the IPFW win on Sunday. This will be just the second career match between the Cardinals and Titans with the first coming on Aug. 27, 2004, when Ball State came to Detroit and left with a 1-0 win. Ball State will play Hawaii before matching up with the Titans. 
 
Hawaii Rainbow Wahine
The Rainbow Wahine (4-1-1) are undefeated in its last five matches after opening the season with a 2-0 loss to Nevada with that game played in Reno, Nev. A 3-3 draw with Drexel on Aug. 31 was the only other non-win for Hawaii after a 3-0 win over BYU-Hawaii on Monday. Tiana Fujimoto leads the team with five goals and an assist for 11 points, and is on a five-game point streak. Kanani Taaca has seen every minute of play in goal for the Rainbow Wahine making eight saves and posting one shutout. Hawaii has totaled 80 shots this season, while holding opponents to just 37. Hawaii is 3-0 all-time against Detroit winning 2-1 on Sept. 21, 2006, and also 1-0 on Sept. 24, 2009, and 2-0 two days later.
 
Defending the Island Turf
The home of the University of Hawai'i women's soccer team is the turf field at the Waipi'o Peninsula Soccer Stadium (WPSS). The Rainbow Wahine has won 70 percent of its matches since moving into the WPSS in 2000. Located in West O'ahu, the stadium boasts a seating capacity of 4,500. The Rainbow Wahine has regularly enjoyed an enthusiastic home crowd which has regularly been among the best in the country. Hawai'i has ranked in the top 40 nationally in average attendance during all 10 seasons at WPSS, including three seasons in the top 10. The Rainbow Wahine drew three of its top eight crowds ever in 2005 and, in its season-finale, played before a school-record of 3,175 fans.
 
Where Do We Go From Here?
The Titans will return to Michigan on Monday afternoon and will next play at Eastern Michigan on Thursday, Sept. 13, with that game slated for 4:00 p.m.