THIS WEEK
Saturday, Nov. 4, UH Hilo (6-9-1/3-8-1 PWC) vs. Chaminade (3-10-1/2-8-1 PWC), Paiea Stadium, Kamehameha School Hawai`i 12:30 pm
(Link to Live Stats for all matches available at www.hiloathletics.com)

Hilo Headlines: The Vulcans look to end the 2017 season on a high note when they host rival Chaminade on Saturday afternoon. It will be Senior Day, and UH Hilo will honor six student-athletes playing in their final collegiate match—Jenna Hufford, Kayela Santiago, Milana Wolsleben, Astrid Perez, Sophie Satterlee and Keani Shirai. The ceremony will take place immediately following the 12:30 pm match.

Rough Stretch: After beginning the season 3-0, with another three-match win streak pieced together in late September and early October, the Vulcans have since fallen on hard times. On Saturday, they will be looking to end a six-match losing string which has taken them to under .500 for the first time this season at 6-9-1.

Win Column: On the plus side, head coach Gene Okamura's team has a chance to equal their highest win total (seven) since the program went 7-5-6 in 2014. Last season, the Vulcans were  5-7-4.

Scoring Gap: The Vulcans have still outscored their opponents this season, 21-16. They have two 4-0 victories to their credit (Hawaii Pacific, Academy of Art) and they defeated Concordia (Oregon) 4-1 earlier this season. The Cavaliers went on to win the Great Northwest Athletic Conference title, going undefeated in GNAC play (11-0-1) and they are 14-2-1 overall and headed to the NCAA regional play-offs.

Jenna Being Jenna: Senior goalkeeper Jenna Hufford is fourth in the PacWest in Goals Against Average (.955) and saves (71). That save total is fourth all-time for a single season at UHH (her 2016 total of 99 is second). Her GAA is also fourth best on the Vulcan list, and she also has the second best totals (0.88) and third (0.91). Hufford will leave the Vulcan program as the career saves leader (303 and counting) and career shutout ace (21).

Reading Between the Lines: With five goals on the year and two assists, junior transfer Carlie Reader leads the Vulcans in scoring with 12 points. Bryana-Marie Ebbers is next with four goals and two assists (10 points), followed closely by Jaimie Salas (four goals, one assist, nine points). Kayela Santiago has four assists to lead the Vulcans in that category.

Chaminade Clippings: This will be the season finale for Chaminade as well, though they will host Fresno Pacific on Thursday before traveling to the Big Island. The Silverswords will be looking to get revenge on the Vulcans for a 3-1 loss back on Sept. 4 in Honolulu. In that match, Jaimie Salas scored 22 seconds into the game and UH Hilo would score twice more in the first half to clinch the victory. Caitlin Tatemichi has seven goals to lead her team and two assists (16 points) to rank fourth in the PacWest. The Vulcans lead the all-time series between the two schools, 25-2-1, but the two teams split matches in 2016.

The Coach: Gene Okamura is in his second season as the leader of the men's and women's soccer programs at UH Hilo in 2017. 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 11-16-5.