Ives tallies brace, Air Force rolls to 3-1 win over Hawaii

COLORADO SPRINGS- A big evening in front of goal for Jordi Ives propelled the Falcons over the Rainbow Wahine on Thursday, as Air Force outlasted Hawaii 3-1 to give Laura Busby's squad it's third-consecutive win.

Ives notched her second and third goals of the 2023 season, as she now owns the team lead with three goals, just four games into the new campaign. Hawaii opened the scoring in the 11th minute, as the Rainbow Wahine jumped out to an early 1-0 lead. However, it didn't take Ives long to capitalize on an early opportunity.

In the 18th minute, Ives and Mia Otero created a two-woman attack on the right side of the Hawaii defense, as a little give-and-go between the duo allowed Ives to poke the equalizing score into the back of the net. Otero now has two assists in 2023, tying her with Julia Tierney for most among Air Force players.

The score eventually stayed level going into the halftime break, but the Falcons wouldn't be held down long following the start of the second half.

As the 65 minute approached, a Falcon attack saw Kendall Rippley feed Ives to give Air Force the go-ahead score. The assist was the first of Rippley's collegiate career.

Not even two minutes later, Hawaii's Eve Bleam was booked for her second yellow card, resulting in a red card and the Rainbow Wahine being forced into playing with 10 women. Given the chance, Air Force seized the opportunity.

Raine Komata began the Falcon advance in the 78th minute, lobbing a pass from the Falcons side of the field, finding Caeli Sherman just outside the 18-yard box. Sherman, following some individual flair, tucked away Air Force's third score of the night and her second of the season. Komata registered her first collegiate assist as a result of the Sherman strike.

The Falcons were again the more offensive side, firing eight shots on goal on 20 total attempts compared to the Rainbow Wahine's eight shots on goal in 16 tries. The two Air Force keepers, Sydney Davis and Cammi Bych, combined to stop seven of Hawaii's eight shots on target.

Ives and Sherman were responsible for a game-high four shots each, though Ives was the lone Falcon to manage multiple shots on goal. Ives now owns a .727 shot on goal percentage, as eight of the senior's 11 shot attempts have forced the keeper's hand.

Thursday marks the first time the Falcons won three matches in a row since 2019. That same season also represents Air Force's most recent 3-1 start.

Next, Air Force will have a week to recover before traveling to West Point to take on Army on Thursday, September 7. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:00 pm MT.

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