Justin goes back-to-back as Hawai’i remains towards top of Mountain West

HONOLULU – DJ, play that song again.

University of Hawai’i women’s soccer goalkeeper Kennedy Justin earned her second consecutive Mountain West Defensive Player of the Week honor on Monday morning after posting her third straight clean sheet in a 1-0 victory over Grand Canyon last Saturday.

Justin and the Rainbow Wahine “No Goal Patrol” shut down GCU’s high-volume attack on the way to the narrow win, holding the Lopes to seven shots and one total shot on frame. It was the eighth clean sheet of the season for the junior goalkeeper, setting a new Rainbow Wahine single season record and putting her one shutout shy of the program’s career record of 16.

Hawai’i has allowed three goals over the past two months of game action and only one goal at home over the last seven matches in Mānoa. Justin has climbed to a tie atop the Mountain West goalkeeper leaderboard with Wyoming’s Haley Bartel, each collecting eight shutouts – though Justin has done so in 14 games to Bartel’s 16 appearances.

Justin also leads the conference in save percentage (.825) and average goals against (0.75 per game), both of which would be career best marks for the three-year Rainbow Wahine veteran.

The win over the Lopes extended UH’s win streak to six games, good for the fourth-longest active win streak in the country. Hawai’i will be back in action on Wednesday, October 28 with test against UNLV, who enters the match coming off a five-goal explosion in a victory over Nevada last Saturday.

The Lady Rebels have scored in six of the team’s eight conference matchups and put up multiple goals in four Mountain West matchups, though have struggled defensively as they’ve allowed the second-most goals per game against conference opponents.