THIS WEEK
Saturday, Oct. 7, UH Hilo (5-3-1/2-2-1 PWC) vs. Hawaii Pacific (6-3-1/2-2-1 PWC), Waipahu, 12:30 pm, Waipio Peninsula Soccer Park
(Link to Live Stats for all matches available at www.hiloathletics.com)

Hilo Headlines: Owners of a two-match winning streak, the Vulcans head to Oahu this Saturday for a big match-up with rival Hawai`i Pacific. The Sharks and Vulcans have identical Pacific West Conference records at 2-2-1, tied for sixth place in the league.

Good To Be Home: After playing six of their first seven matches on the road, the Vulcans came home to host Academy of Art (Saturday) and Holy Names (Tuesday). Coach Gene Okamura's squad dismantled the Urban Knights (4-0) and took down Holy Names (2-0) to improve to 5-3-1 on the season while also picking up their first two conference victories.

Reading Between the Lines: The Vulcans scored six goals in the two matches, and junior transfer Carlie Reader (Chico State) scored three of them. She tallied one in each half against Academy of Art, weaving around and past defenders for one of the scores. She dropped in another in the second half against the Hawks, firing from the left side of the field to the right corner of the net.

New Balance: Despite Reader's outburst, the Vulcans are still a team that is balanced with a number of scoring weapons. Reader does have four goals and an assist (nine points), but so does Jaimie Salas. Bryana-Marie Ebbers is right behind that duo with three goals and two assists (eight points). Five other Vulcans have scored goals this season, including Kayela Santiago who also leads the team with three assists.

Scoring Gap: In nine matches this season, the Vulcans have outscored their opponents, 16-6.

Stat Stuff: The Vulcans lead the PacWest in fewest goals allowed with six, an average of 0.67 per match. Senior goalkeeper Jenna Hufford leads the conference in Goals Against Average at 0.571, and is one-one hundredth of a percentage point behind HPU keeper Lauren Spencer's Save Percentage (.894).

Just Gene: "It was good to get our offense back on track," said head coach Gene Okamura. "We had to adjust to monsoon conditions against Holy Names and it took us a little while to get things untracked…We have a big challenge this week, against a team that is also very good on defense. It will come down to whomever makes the fewest mistakes, wins."

Shark Tank: The Sharks defeated the Vulcans 1-0 back in mid-September in a non-conference match. As mentioned above, Lauren Spencer is one of the top goalkeepers in the conference, with a 0.765 Goals Against Average and she has four shutouts. Ebony Madrid leads the offense with five goals. The Sharks beat Academy of Art 1-0 last week and tied Holy Names, 0-0. They have a double overtime victory over Dixie State to their credit this season (3-2). With HPU's win on Sept. 16, they increased their lead in the all-time series versus the Vulcans to 11-7-5.

Good Mix: The 2017 Vulcan roster has six returning seniors and nine other players back that had playing experience last year. Additionally, a solid class of transfers and freshmen give the team depth that they haven't had in years past.

Looking Ahead: After taking on the Sharks, the Vulcans will head back to the mainland for matches at Point Loma, Biola and Dixie State, Oct. 14-19.

The Coach: Gene Okamura enters into his second season as the leader of the men's and women's soccer programs at UH Hilo. The former Vulcan player and UH Hilo graduate served three seasons as an assistant prior to getting the director's job, and was also the head coach at Kamehameha School, where his team finished second in the HHSAA State Championships in 2015-16. The local product (Waiakea HS) is the Director of Coaching for Hawaii Big Rush and Haaheo Soccer Clubs. He now has a career record with the UH Hilo women's team of 10-10-4.