LACEY, Wash. – The Saints were ready to be home, after opening the season on the road for three weeks, defeating Hawaii at Hilo, 4-1, in their home opener for the 2018 season.
 
Sebastian Navarro and Brandon Madsen started the Saints' (2-4-0) off on the right foot, scoring in the first half, while SMU's defense limited Hawaii at Hilo (1-1-0) to only two shots. The Vulcans managed to draw within one after a penalty kick, but the Saints responded with goals from Jason Fairhurst and Will Eldred to secure the impressive 4-1 victory.
 
Navarro, who had attempted the first two corners for the Saints in the first half, had missed low both times. Looking to elevate the ball on his third attempt, Navarro managed to strike perfectly instead, lifting the ball over the defense and connecting with the back post for the Saints' first goal. After SMU took the lead in the 22nd minute, the Saints' continued to offensive pressure, resulting in another scoring opportunity in the 40th minute. Leading scorer for the Saints, Madsen, delivered the second goal of the match, his fourth of the season, to the near post on a ball from Alexis Lopez.
 
Out of halftime, Hawaii Hilo managed to gain possession more in the midfield, which resulted in more offensive chances for the Vulcans. The pressure on the Saints defense finally produced results in the 54th minute when a penalty kick was awarded and converted for the Vulcans first goal. However, the momentum quickly shifted back to the Saints after goal, and SMU delivered a blow to the Vulcans' chances of equalizing in the 66th minute. Fairhurst, on a long pass from Martin Lopez, was left unmarked by the near post, and scored his first goal of the season. The final nail came in the 78th minute, on an assist from Cayman John, Will Eldred put in the fourth and final goal of the match.
 
"After a couple long road trips, it was good to be home today to round out our non-conference portion of the season," said head coach Rob Walker. "I really thought that Hawaii Hilo was good when they stepped out of their low press. I think we had some chances that we could have scored in the first half, but overall we were pretty pleased with our performances up and down the lineup. There were plenty of good performances today, Martin Lopez' assist, and Jason Fairhurst's goal as well as Will Eldred's goal come to mind. We will now set our sights on our home conference opener against Western Washington."
 
The Saints tied a school record for most shots in a single game with 27, recording 16 in the first half and 11 in the second half. John led the way with seven, with Madsen and Oscar Aguilar adding five each. Navarro and Fairhurst combined for seven shots. Griffin Small got the start at keeper, going 76 minutes, allowing one goal and making two saves before Dylan Shaw closed out the match.
 
The Saints remain at home, and are set to begin the GNAC schedule with a match against Western Washington on Thursday. Kick-off is set for 1:00 p.m. with live stats and video available for free on smusaints.com.